


Everlasting Night

by MinishMae



Category: Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Dark, Animal Abuse, Animal Death, Animal Transformation, Blood and Violence, Body Modification, Child Experimentation, Coping, Denial of Feelings, Don't worry they're all grown up when it happens, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, My First Work in This Fandom, Panic Attacks, Swearing, Work In Progress, don't crucify me, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-10-24 15:57:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 79,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17707262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinishMae/pseuds/MinishMae
Summary: There was only one thing buzzing around in Ness' head all the time at every point-- he had failed and Giygas had won. The world was plunged into darkness and brought to the brink of destruction. No time flows, the seasons never shift, and timelines are being thrown out of whack. That was three years ago, and now Ness is on a mission to find his friends and family. When he meets a boy named Lucas, they find out they're in a similar situation.Best to team up for now. Who knows? Maybe good things will come out of this unlikely team.After all, their loved ones are still out there in this dark, dark world. And they need to be found as soon as possible!





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry that the prologue is so short! But, think of it as a preview of what's to come!  
> The EB/Mother fandom has been such a welcoming community so far! It's full of such nice people who supported me in doing this fic! So, I hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> I took inspiration from the plot of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers games, where the world goes dark. But, aside from that, everything you see from now on will be from my destructive mind. Hope you all like angsty things! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy whats to come!

Ness’ head was throbbing in pain when he finally came to. Everything that had happened was all a blur, and his body was painfully numb. His eyes blinked open and for a moment, he was confused beyond belief. Shouldn’t it be light outside? Why was it dark? In an instant, everything returned to him and he shot awake, coming to a sitting position. His heart thumped out of his chest and his breath escape him as he looked around in a panic. His friends were nowhere to be found. 

“Paula?” he called out, “Jeff! Poo!! Where are you!?” 

They should’ve been waiting for him when he woke up, but, they weren’t here. Did they not make it back from their robot bodies? He looked to the dark sky, which was suppose to be an afternoon sky, and was completely dumbfounded. There appeared to be no clouds in the sky, and there were no moon and stars shining overhead. What happened for there to be no stars or moon? Then, it hit him hard. He remembered everything as quickly as he had forgotten it. 

Giygas had won.

Panic and sadness began to set in when he finally realized the stakes. They had failed. He had failed. This was his journey to take and everything had fallen apart. Ness thought they were so prepared for everything, but, in the end? They were done. This world was done. He thought about his friends and where they were right now. Were they even alive? What about his family? Was this world even actually alive anymore, or was it some kind of limbo? Was Ness … dead? 

Overwhelmed with emotions, he sat there and sobbed. In that moment, all he could think about was if his family and friends were alright. Homesickness and grief hit him all at once as he sat there shaking like a leaf. He thought about how he failed the entire world, and what he should do now. Make up for it? Find a way to save it again? At this point, it all seemed like a lost cause no matter how he looked at it. In the end, there was no way of telling if his friends were alive or gone because of Giygas. 

Slowly, Ness stood up, shaking off a drowsy feeling.He let out a loud sigh and looked to the sky once again. Indeed, there were no stars and no moon. But, how was the world still here if Giygas had won? Did he barely win? Were the able to stop him before the complete ruin of the world? Either way, it was grim no matter how Ness looked at it. Swallowing his lumps, he grabbed his backpack and bat and began his long trek home. Once he made sure his family was safe, he’d find his friends and make sure to fix what he had started … 

That was three long years ago ...

* * *

Claus glanced over at his sleeping brother. Boney was curled up next to him in a comfy position. He seemed at peace, but for the life of him, Claus couldn’t ever be at peace. Not after what had happened several years ago. He remembered it so vividly and it made his blood boil at the very thought of it. Why his father and brother didn’t do anything about it was beyond him-- but he knew one thing was certain. Claus wouldn’t stand by and let the same thing happen to other people. His mother hadn’t died in vain, and he was going to make sure of that. Unlike Lucas and Flint, he couldn’t sit idly by while that monster was still out there. 

Claus sighed as he packed his backpack, filling it with necessary supplies for the trip. He huffed at the thought of it being a trip. For all he knew, it could be a one way trip. He didn’t want to think of it like that, but, unfortunately, the man that killed his mom seemed powerful and terrifying. If Claus had to, he’d go out in a blaze of glory in an attempt to avenger his mother. He’d do anything if it meant his family would be safe. 

He finished packing everything he’d need and finally turned to his brother. Lucas clung to a raggedy old blanket they had found a few months ago. Didn’t look like it’d keep anybody warm, but it was better than nothing. Claus felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia course through him as he said his goodbyes to Lucas. He hoped this wouldn’t be the last time he saw him. 

“Lucas, do me a favor … and stop being so cowardly. You can do great things if you stop being so scared all the time ...” he smiled painfully holding back tears and began walking out of the room, “Take care of dad little bro …” 

Lucas quietly moved out of their room and found Flint’s room close by. The door was left open as it usually was. Back when the world was light, he and Hinawa never did this. Perhaps it was in case anything happened to he and Lucas? Either way it was good for him because the door wouldn’t creak now. He walked inside and saw his father fast asleep. Like Lucas, he looked just as peaceful. For a moment Claus just stared at him, unable to think of anything to say. He finally shook his head and spoke in a whisper. 

“Dad … thanks for everything you’ve done for us …” finally tears began to flow, “You did everything in your power for me and Lucas and I can’t thank you enough …” Claus brought his sleeve to his face, wiping away his tears. “I promise I’ll come back … once that man is dead …” 

He turned away from his father and stopped in the doorway, glancing back at him one last time. Under his breath with a shaky tone he whispered, “I love you …” 

Fearing he’d start regretting his decisions, he left quietly and without another word. He left their house and looked at the other houses. Luckily for them, soon after the world went dark, they found the other residents of Tazmily as well as an abandoned community of sorts. It was easy pickings and now things seemed to be running smoothly. They had quite a number of people on their side, but, Claus just wasn’t content. They weren’t safe. 

The man that took his mother’s life was a cruel person. He killed her without hesitation and mercy, and Claus knew he’d do it again. None of them were safe, even if they had the numbers.Claus shuddered to think house easily he could sneak in and do away with everyone he loved. That's why he had to do something. 

He reached the fence that Flint and the other Tazmilians had fortified together and quickly left the safe haven. He was at the mercy of the dark world and whatever awaited him out there. But, Claus was ready. He was ready to face that man and whatever dangers awaited him. However, Claus knew somewhere deep down he’d see everyone again someday. 

That was a year ago …

* * *

Lucas couldn’t believe he had gathered up the courage to do something like this. His heart was pounding wildly out of his chest. Would he be caught? Could he even survive out there? Would he ever find Claus and bring him home? What would Flint think? He’d probably be really mad and heartbroken. He had gone out into the forest searching for Claus ever since he left, but if Lucas were to leave and help too, maybe they’d finally have a chance at bringing him home! 

After leaving a tearful goodbye in the form of a note, Lucas left the house he and Flint were staying in. He peered around outside before quickly making his move. After Claus left, Flint made sure there were guards watching the entrance at all times. Lucas wasn’t sure how he’d get around this, but, he’d figure it out when the time came. 

He was nearing the entrance when he heard a tiny voice call out. 

“Lucas …?” 

Lucas froze in his tracks and turned around with wide eyes. He sighed in relief when he saw Fuel standing before him. Fuel had been a good friend of his growing up. Fuel, Claus and he were good friends, but after the world went dark, they all began to drift apart. 

“Where are you going, Lucas …?” Fuel asked, cocking his head, “It’s really late …” 

Lucas sighed and looked at Fuel with saddened eyes. “I’m … going after Claus …” 

Fuel shook his head in disbelief and walked towards Lucas, “What?! You can’t! Lucas we don’t even know if he’s--” Fuel cut himself off and hesitated. He noticed Lucas look away as his sad expression worsened. “W-well, either way, it’s really dangerous out there, Lucas …” 

“But, it’s dangerous for Claus too!” Lucas insisted. “He’s been all alone out there for a year! Dad really misses him … and so do I. I just want my brother back, Fuel …” 

“I-I understand that, but …”  
“Fuel, you need to promise me you won’t tell anyone … please.” 

Fuel bit his lip and turned away, hoping he could just ignore Lucas’ plea. “Lucas, they’re gonna know as soon as morning-- er, as soon as they wake up …” he shrugged, “Do you really have to go?” 

Lucas nodded, “Once I bring Claus home, everything will be fine.” he smiled at Fuel gently “Maybe, we could even hang out like we used to when we were little.” 

Fuel smiled back at him, “Yeah … I’d like that …” he nodded, “Alright, I promise.” 

Lucas held out his pinky finger with a sincere smile, “And I promise I’ll come back with Claus … safe and sound …” 

Fuel entwined his finger around Lucas’ sealing their promise to one another. The other boy was overcome with sudden grief and embraced Lucas, hugging him tightly. Lucas felt like he’d cry on the spot as he hugged his friend back. What would Claus do in this situation? Probably make fun of Fuel, but, Lucas couldn’t do that. After a moment, the two separated and Lucas just kept smiling. 

“We’ll be back before you know it …” he assured Fuel, “When dad does find out though, tell him not to worry, okay …?” 

“That’s easier said than done, but, I’ll try …” he motioned for Lucas to follow him, “Follow me. I know a secret way out. The guard will see you if you keep going that way.” 

Fuel led him to a different exit that only he knew about and turned to him. “I really, really don’t think this is a good idea, Lucas … maybe I could go with you?” 

Lucas shook his head, “No, this is something I should do on my own. If you got hurt, I’d never be able to forgive myself. Same for everyone here. I need to do it alone.” 

Fuel finally sighed and nodded, “Alright. Here. This is the exit.” 

Fuel showed him a break in the fence that had worn over time. It was the perfect place to escape unseen. Lucas crouched down and was quick to maneuver through the rotting fence. Once on the other side, he turned back to Fuel from the hole. 

Fuel extended his hand to Lucas, “Keep your promise, Lucas …” 

Lucas nodded and took his hand in his, “Definitely … I’ll be back before you know it …” 

That was several months ago …

* * *

Giygas had completely thrown the world into a state of paralysis. The world was dark, and time didn’t seem to move. Morning never came, and seasons never shifted. It was as if the world was completely immobile. But, had Giygas planned for the complete ruin of the world? Why did everything still exist? Why were different timelines converging? People of the past, present, and future were meeting when they very well shouldn’t. Giygas seemed to have perished in the battle against Ness and his friends, and yet, the world was on the brink of destruction. 

Perhaps there were still remnants of Giygas’ power lingering in the world. Perhaps once that was destroyed the world would return to it’s peaceful state. Perhaps time would flow once again. Perhaps this never ending nightmare would draw to a close. 

But for now, all anyone cared about was being with the ones they loved and surviving.  
That’s exactly what Lucas and Ness were both trying to do.


	2. Lucas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ness meets a boy named Lucas. He doesn't know it yet, but the both of them are destined to do great things together.

Three long years had passed, and with each passing day, Ness grew more and more weary. Tattered clothes, a bat wrapped in barbed wire, and a bruised and scarred face made him look the part in this dark, dark world. Other people would’ve broken under such circumstances, but, Ness? He endured it, and pressed on. After all, his friends and family were still out there. They just had to be … 

Three years of eating granola bars and other scavenged foods had really begun to mess with Ness overall. He could feel himself growing weaker and weaker as the days pressed on. In the beginning, he was strong, but now-- it felt like he could feel himself withering down. It was times like these he’d think about finding a community and settling down with them. But, then he remembered why he couldn’t do that. 

He held his fingertips out in front of him and released a small burst of light. That was exactly why. If people knew he had PSI powers, they would take advantage of him. He was sure of it. Use him for war or to fight others-- and that’s not what he wanted. He often wondered if Poo, wherever he was, was thinking the same thing. Should he hide it? Show it to the world? No. Stay safe. That’s all that matters now. 

And so, while searching for his friends, Ness stayed hidden as best he could. While travelling if he came upon other communities or travellers, he would ignore them and stick to the shadows. Many times on the road, he would see people traversing them just as he was. When he’d see them, he’d duck away and wait for them to pass. Again, you could never be sure about people with the way the world was now. Ness liked playing it safe, as you could never tell how people would be. 

This continued on for years after he had left Onett. 

Often times, he’d remember running all the way home to Onett after the confrontation with Giygas. On his way home he had stopped in other places, hoping to find his friends, but unfortunately there was no such luck. Only dilapidated and destroyed buildings which only make his heart sink. When he made it home, Onett was utterly destroyed. Houses collapsed, buildings destroyed, and the entire town, much like the rest of the world, was enshrouded in eternal darkness. His home wasn’t in any better shape. It was as if the roof had collapsed. He remembered struggling over top the rubble, searching for hours to see if his family had unfortunately been there. Much to his surprise and relief, they weren’t anywhere to be found in the destruction. They had gotten out, and there was still hope. 

Despite Ness having been alone and beginning to lose his senses, he had a clear mission in his head. Find his loved ones and figure everything out then. Hopefully then everything would be alright. But, now? Things weren’t looking so good. 

Ness was running low on all sorts of supplies. He had done well to conserve his power over the years, only using it when absolutely necessary. He knew if he used it too much, he wouldn’t be able to use it in dangerous circumstances. It wasn’t easy coming across ways to replenish his power either, so he had to be sparing with how he used it. Aside from that, his food, water, and other supplies were drastically running low. No matter how often Ness stopped to ransack a building or search for more, all he would find was the occasional protein bar or other food that was way past it’s expiration date. Being on his own was definitely proving to be stressful and dangerous. 

But, nonetheless, he kept moving forward. Growing more and more weary by the day.

* * *

The fire crackled in front of Ness as he stared into it, the light reflecting off of his violet eyes. His stomach pleaded and growled to bed fed, but, unfortunately, Ness had nothing left. Despite it’s pleas, he kept telling himself he wasn’t hungry. He could go a few more days without eating-- he just had to keep telling himself that. Perhaps some sleep would do him well? Because all this thinking definitely wasn’t. 

Ness’ eyes began to fall half lidded as a drowsy sensation began to envelop him. He tucked his knees to his chest and tried to make himself more comfortable. It wasn’t long before the drowsiness took over him and he began to doze off. The warmth from the fire created a soothing feeling against him. 

It wasn’t long after he had dozed off that he heard a crack somewhere in the woods. Immediately, the raven haired boy snapped back into his senses and a feeling of dread overcame him. He grabbed hold of his bat, which he had recently reinforced with barbed wire. When rabid animals and scary creatures come at you from the darkness, you need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure they don’t harm you. His hands shakily clutched the bat, ready to attack anything that came his way. Once would thing after doing this enough times, you’d get used to it, but that wasn’t how Ness felt in the slightest. 

It just became more terrifying the more he had to do it. 

When he didn’t hear anymore cracks, he was beginning to believe that he had only dreamt it. Or perhaps it had been the fire crackling. Either way, whatever the noise had been, it was gone now. His shaking finally settled down and he sighed in relief. Just as he was about to sit back down and relax, something rammed into him full force, knocking him to the ground! 

Ness was still seeing stars by the time he came to his senses. He strained his eyes to look around and saw someone picking up his bat. All of a sudden, fear set in, and his heart thudded out of his chest. This was it, this was where he died. He turned towards the one who had picked up his bat, and watched as they pointed something at his neck. A rather large stick that looked reinforced was being held at his neck, where a point threatened him. 

Ness stared wide eyed at the one who had knocked him over and studied them carefully. This person looked a little shorter than Ness, and was a boy like him. His greasy, blonde hair was flipped into an updo. The boy wore a striped red and yellow shirt with a black long sleeved shirt underneath. With jeans and red sneakers to match, he looked like any normal kid. But now? This kid was holding a sharp stick to Ness’ throat. Another thing he noticed about this kid was the melancholic look crossing his face. He seemed almost … regretful for what he was doing. As the boy started talking, anxiety shot through Ness’ body. 

“Look, I don’t want to hurt you, but,” the boy cleared his throat and stood up straighter, “I need to ask you something, and I’m going to need you to comply.” 

Ness narrowed his eyes, now beginning to glare at the boy. Who the hell was he? “And, what if I don’t agree …?” 

Ness let out an audible gasp as he felt the point touch his neck. He looked back up at the boy with a terrified expression. The blonde only shook his head. “You’re not really in any place to ask questions. Please, hear me out.” 

Ness sighed, “Look, I’ll give you whatever you want. What is it that you need? I don’t have much, but …” 

“I just need to ask you a question. I don’t want to hurt you, like I said.” he finally withdrew the pointed weapon and reached a hand out to Ness. Finally, this kid was starting to become less intimidating, but that didn’t mean Ness didn’t worry. He reluctantly took the boy’s hand and stood up with his help. “I’ve been watching you for a while. You seem strong-- dependable. There’s not a lot of people like you in the world now …”   
When Ness finally stood up he searched the boy over from head to toe. He was shorter than him, and was skinnier than him. If need be, he could probably overpower him in a fight. Hopefully it would never come to that. Then he realized the blonde still held onto his bat. If he was gonna win, he’d need that back. Might as well play it safely. 

“You’ve been watching me?” Ness rose a brow to Lucas, “That’s kinda creepy, kid.” 

“Sorry, but, you seemed to fit the bill and, I needed to ask you but … I guess I was scared to approach until now.” 

The blonde bit the inside of his cheek as he realized he just told this stranger he was scared. Why did he make him out to be weak? He was weak, but, this stranger didn’t need to know that. Nonetheless, he sighed and looked at Ness as he narrowed his eyes. 

“I didn’t even want to pull my stick on you because it felt so violent and wrong.” he kept doing it. Come on, stop saying things like that. Don’t sound weak. What would Claus do? “Uh, either way, I really need to ask you this.” 

“Well, can I at least have my bat back?”   
“Not yet. I’ll give it back in a second once I have my answer.” 

Ness narrowed his eyes and huffed angrily. He was getting rather anxious and impatient. He just wanted the bat. Before the blonde boy continued, he looked over Ness now that he had a good chance to look at him. He wore a red hat with blue accents. Like him, he also wore jeans with red sneakers. To finish off the look, he wore a dark grey hoodie with lighter grey sleeves. On the right breast of the hoodie, white letters spelled out ONETT. Once he had collected his thoughts, and observed the stranger, he finally spoke up. 

“Please think it over before answering …” the boy sighed, “I’m really running out of options and I don’t know what to do anymore …” 

“Get to the point.” 

The other boy nodded. “I’m looking for my brother. He left my community about a year ago, and I just left a few months ago to search for him. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, but, even if I could just find some clues on his whereabouts, it’d be better than nothing.” 

Ness crossed his arms and cocked his head as he listened on. 

“He’s strong on his own, but, I’d be much happier knowing his safe. That’s why when I stumbled upon you, I observed you closely. You’re around my age, and you seem like you know what you’re doing too. You can handle enemies and you can fend for yourself. I know you’re not with any communities, and you’re all alone out here … how come?” 

Ness turned away and shrugged. He really didn’t feel like sharing this information with a total stranger. It was already bad enough that this kid knew he was travelling alone. How long had he been following him? All these strange thoughts plagued his mind as he answered back. 

“It’s safer, I guess,” he shrugged again, “I’ve been travelling alone for three years, and I’ve been just fine. Travelling in a group gets messy. Fights break out, people lose trust in each other, and before you know it, everyone has their backs turned on one another. Why risk it when I’m better off alone?” 

“I … guess I can see where you’re coming from. But, still, it’s dangerous out here alone. I’ve seen some pretty nasty people in just a few months being out here. And, even at the beginning …” Again, the boy rubbed the back of his neck, “I saw firsthand what people will do when their life is on the line … and they become wicked and cruel. I guess, I don’t want to end up like that.” 

Ness nodded, “Alright, yeah, I can see where you’re coming from. But, I don’t think I can help you.” 

The blonde boy glanced at him with a saddened expression, “Wh-what? No, please! I really need your help!” 

“I don’t even know you, kid!” Ness exclaimed, “For all I know this could all be a trap to lure me somewhere and rob me blind. Then you’d kill me. I’m not dumb.” 

The blonde boy looked completely offended. Robbing? Killing? No-- he’d never do that on purpose. He shook his head fast. “I’d never do something like that! I know I can’t prove it, but … you’re just going to have to trust me …” 

“I’m sorry, but, you’re gonna have to find someone else. And I want my bat back.” 

Reluctantly, the boy gave him the bat. He sighed, “We both could’ve been safer together …” 

“Thanks, but, I’ll take my chances. Now, please, leave.” 

“I, uh,” the boy tugged at the base of his shirt, “Do you think I could stay here? Just for the night? I’ll be out of your hair by morning.” 

Ness groaned and pinched the bridge between his nose. “I. Don’t. Know. You. What more do I need to tell you?” 

“... You’re looking for someone too, aren’t you?” 

Ness perked up when he heard him say that. How could he possibly know? 

“I hear you talking to yourself sometimes. I do it too. I can’t stand being alone, and sometimes talking to myself helps me get things off of my mind.” he glanced at Ness with a sympathetic smile, “So, I’m right … right? You’re looking for people too?” 

Ness went quiet and turned towards the fire. Again, the light reflected on his violet eyes as he tried to come up with a logical reason to tell this kid to fuck off. Then, a scenario came to his mind. As much as he wanted to travel alone and preferred it, perhaps this kid could be helpful. In exchange for helping him find his brother, perhaps he could help him find his own friends and family. It was worth a shot, after all. 

“Well, I’m sorry I bothered you …” the boy turned the other way, ready to take off, “Good luck.” 

“Wait,” Ness said finally, “Look, I do have people I’m searching for. You’re right, travelling alone is dangerous and stupid. I’ll help you find your brother, but, in exchange you need to help me find my family and friends.” 

The blonde turned back with a relieved smile. “Really? You’re not joking?” 

“Yeah. Besides, two heads are better than one. But, you need to follow my lead from now on. Do what I say and when I say. I’ve been out here longer than you, and I know how to do things out here. Understand?” 

The boy nodded and walked closer to Ness. He bore such a happy and thankful expression. “Oh, thank you so much! I think I might actually have a chance now!” 

“Wait. Before we continue on, I need to ask you some questions. I need to know your true intentions, and you better not lie. If I find out any of what I ask is a lie, we’re going our separate ways. If this turns out to be a trick and I find out,” he narrowed his eyes at the blonde, “then you’ll wish you had never met me.”   
The blonde gulped nervously and nodded. “Alright …” 

Ness sat down at the campfire and welcomed the boy to sit as well. He was quick to sit down and warm his hands by the fire. The more Ness looked at him, the more he realized maybe he really wasn’t going to harm him. At the same time, being a pacifist in these literal dark times was something that was dangerous. If they travelled together, Ness would have to teach him a couple things for sure. 

“Alright, first thing’s first,” Ness sat his baseball bat aside and folded his hands in his lap, “What’s your name? Simple enough.” 

The blonde looked over, the fire’s glow illuminating his blue eyes. “Lucas.” 

“Alright. I’m Ness. First thing is out of the way.” 

Lucas smile and stared into the fire. “Ness …” For some strange reason, the name Ness seemed to ring a bell in his mind. Perhaps he had heard the adults back in his community talking about the name before? It certainly wasn’t a common name. “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you, Ness.” 

Ness nodded, “Second question,” He was honestly making this questions up as he was going along. He looked over at the stick next to Lucas and suddenly something came to him. “Have you ever killed anything before? Any humans?” 

“Yes, I’ve killed things before … rabid animals and things that seemed evil. You’ve probably seen them before? Creatures fallen to the dark world?” 

Ness nodded, “Yeah, they’re everywhere.” 

“Yeah, I’ve had to kill plenty of those things, but it was to protect myself … It never becomes easier for me. As for humans, no, I’ve never killed a human …” 

Ness closed his eyes and hummed as he thought of a third and final question. Something that would let him know if Lucas was a good person or not. Of course, all of these could simply be lies and Lucas was just playing him. For all he knew, it could be a trap. But, for now, he had to try and trust the blonde boy. 

“Alright … final question.” he opened his eyes and narrowed them at Lucas. His gaze seemed to go right through the boy. “What’s your drive?” 

“My … drive?” Lucas asked, raising a brow at him. 

“Yeah, you know, what keeps you moving. What causes you to do the things you do? What’re your morals and what makes you, you?” 

“Um …” Lucas shrugged, “I guess my drive is to find my brother. Back when this all started, my family was torn apart, so … I really want to find him and bring him back to my community. I really just want my family back together. That’s my drive.” 

 

Ness nodded. Either he was being sincere and really didn’t know his drive, or he was lying-- playing Ness for a fool. Either scenario was plausible at this point. Then, Lucas asked him something out of the blue. Something he wasn’t expecting the timid blonde to ask.

“Ness, where were you on the day the world went dark …?” he peered up over the fire at Ness, his blue eyes shining against the flames. 

Ness felt a lump in his throat grow as he remembered clear as day where he had been. But, Lucas was a stranger, and no stranger could know what really happened that day. If Lucas had found out, then Ness would be turned over for sure. After all, what else do you do with the kid who caused the world to go dark? Torture him? Kill him? Demand he fix it? He was already working on a solution, but … it just didn’t seem to be working too well. 

“Ness …?” 

“Uh, well,” he flipped the tables and turned it on Lucas, “Where were YOU when the world went dark?” 

“But, I asked you …”   
“You’re following my lead, my rules.” 

“Oh, right … well,” Lucas turned away into the darkness, still warming his hands by the fire. “You know it’s kind of weird. Three years ago, I remember playing with my brother outside. It was morning, clear as day. My parents were nearby too, but then … it was as if there was a solar eclipse or something because the world became so dark.” 

Ness narrowed his eyes and listened intently. 

“But, what’s even weirder is that everything suddenly went pitch black. I felt a tingling sensation flow through my body, as if I was contorted. It’s weird, I dunno how to explain it. Before I know it, I woke up next to my parents in the middle of a dark forest in a place none of us recognized …” 

“So, you had been somewhere completely different when the world went dark? You teleported somehow?” Ness raised a brow at him. It all sounded very sketchy. “Sounds pretty unrealistic.” 

Lucas shook his head, “I’m telling the truth! It’s like … we came to whole nother world. This place has such big buildings … ones that touch the sky--” 

“Skyscrapers.” 

“Er, sure … everything in my old village was small and homey, but everything here is so big and scary. I’m sure it wouldn’t be as bad if it was normal, but, everything is so intimidating in the dark.” 

Ness smirked a bit, “You’re not really doing a good job at selling yourself. You’re making me feel like I could kick your ass in a fight.” 

Lucas chuckled a bit, “You probably could … I barely had the courage to approach you today, let alone knock you down and take your bat. But, I guess if anything, that really does prove I’m a sincere, nice person, right?” 

“Sure. I guess so.”   
“But, Ness, you still never answered my question. Please, tell me.” 

Lucas sure was persistent, and Ness really didn’t like it. Perhaps he could come up with some sort of fabrication or something, at least for now. If it turned out Lucas was a good person and could show his worth, perhaps he’d consider spilling his darkest secret. But, for now? There was no risking it. Ness didn’t exactly like the idea of being tortured for information. 

“Fine. I guess I was in the same scenario as you, just, happened a bit differently. I was with my mom and sister, and my friends. The world suddenly went dark and I felt myself blackout. When I came to, everyone was gone. That’s why I’m searching for them now.” 

That wasn’t a total lie. Ness was indeed searching for his friends and family, but, as for how they all got seperated, that was a bit of a stretch. You couldn’t just tell someone you just met ‘Oh hey, by the way, I was fighting an extraterrestrial embodiment of evil who actually cursed the world and plunged it into everlasting darkness! That's why people and animals are cruel and also why everyone’s lives are torn apart! That’s right! You’re talking to the boy that ruined yours, and everyone else’s life!’ Even saying it inside his head made Ness wanna vomit. 

“Well, you’ll find them!” Ness glanced over a Lucas who gave him a confident smile. “I just know you will. And, I’ll find my brother too. Everything’s going to get better … I just have a feeling it will …” 

“Yeah, I sure hope so. I’ve been searching for three years …”   
“Oh, wow … you’ve been alone this entire time …?” 

Ness only nodded, glancing away from Lucas’ stares. 

“I’m sorry, Ness … it must’ve been hard. But, now you don’t need to worry. Two heads are better than one, after all. Right?” 

“Yeah.” 

Ness perked up when he heard Lucas rummaging through his backpack. All of a sudden, Ness was on his guard, holding his bat close to him, out of the range of Lucas’ sight. What was he doing? Getting ready to pull a weapon? In the end, he was relieved to see Lucas pull out some canned food. Ness’ mouth began watering at the sight of the food. Over the three years, he learned not to be picky. 

“You’re hungry, right?” Lucas asked, holding out the can. “I saw that you hadn’t eaten in a while …” 

“I can’t believe you’ve been watching me all this time. You’re creepy, Lucas.” 

A flush crossed the blonde’s face, “I-I was worried to approach you! I needed to make sure you were safe! Do you want the food or not?” 

As if on cue, Ness’ stomach growled loudly. Louder than he would’ve liked. His face turned red with embarrassment as Lucas let out a chuckle. “Guess your stomach answered for you! Here.” He tossed the can over the fire and into Ness’ hands. 

“You just gotta set it by the flame and let it cook for a bit. Should be good to eat soon. It’s only peas, but, I figure it’s better than nothing.” 

Ness glanced over at him, “You don’t want it? It’s your food.” 

Lucas shook his head, “I still have plenty. Found an abandoned home and found some cans there. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t take food with them. It’s kinda a necessity now.” 

“People rush out in a hurry. They think they’ll be right back, but it never turns out to be that easy. When panic sets in, people will do whatever they can to stay alive … I know how it is …” 

“Sorry, I didn’t meant to bring up unwanted memories …”   
“No worries. It’s in the past. Once these are done, I’ll give you half.”   
“Oh, thanks …” 

It didn’t take long for the peas to cook, and the boys shared them, Ness eating most of the canned goods. He hadn’t realized how hungry he actually had been, and for a chubby kid who grew up eating steak and hamburgers, not having much to eat for the past three years really took a toll on him. Nonetheless, he had to adjust, and fast. 

Once they were done eating, Lucas propped up his backpack as a pillow and soon fell fast asleep, the warm fire lulling him. Ness found it funny that Lucas was comfortable enough to even fall asleep. Didn’t he think he was dangerous? Even slightly? Nonetheless, Ness had pulled all nighters before, so this wasn’t anything new. He felt the unrelenting urge to close his eyes and sleep, but, he couldn’t. He had to keep an eye on Lucas. Only when he was sure he was completely safe could he let his guard down.

But, as time dragged on, Ness could feel himself slipping in and out of consciousness. Despite his best efforts to stay awake, in the end he ended up slowly drifting into a light sleep.

* * *

Hours passed, and Ness was furious when he realized he had dozed off. But, when he came to, he still saw Lucas asleep. Nothing had changed, much to his relief. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the woods. Ness turned towards the noise and narrowed his eyes, straining to see in the darkness. Whatever was rustling was coming closer. 

“Lucas!” Ness whispered, “Lucas, wake up!” 

“Mmm …” Lucas opened up his eyes drowsily and glanced over at Ness, “What …?” 

“Get your weapon. Something’s coming this way.” 

“Wha …?” and then he heard the noise, causing the blonde to gasp. Immediately he was wide awake, and grabbed hold of his stick. He got up and inched closer to Ness. “Did you see what it was …?” 

“No, but, I heard it rustling. Stay alert.” 

Ness clenched the base of the bat, holding it firmly. No matter what, he kept telling himself not to use any PSI. No matter what, Lucas couldn’t know about his powers. Use the bat, and take out whatever it was that way. Don’t let him know … don’t let him find out. 

In the midst of his thoughts, the rustling finally made itself apparent. From the brush, a huge dog that foamed at the mouth began approaching the boys. It’s movement was sporadic, and it seemed as if an aura of shadow was surrounding it. The dog growled and bared its teeth at them, occasionally making strange noises as well. Usually, Ness would be very against harming animals, since he had a dog growing up-- unfortunately, this dog was lost to the cruel dark. There was no saving it aside from putting it out of its misery. 

Lucas groaned in disgust, “I always hate fighting these things …”   
“Just, stay focused … what it once was is gone …” 

The large dog bounded towards the two, separating them from one another. As if it had planned it, the dog continued backing the two away from each other. Finally, it picked out the weakest of the two; Lucas. Once Ness was far enough away, the dog bounded towards Lucas at breakneck speeds. Lucas yelped as the dog toppled over him, pinning him to the ground. 

Lucas groaned as he held the stick up, keeping the dog’s snapping jaw at bay. With enough force, he was able to knock the dog away and get to his feet. Ness rushed to the boy’s side and helped him up. It wasn’t long before the dog was back on its feet and leaping towards Ness once again. It charged at Ness, but due to his quick reflexes, Ness swung the bat at the dog, causing it to yelp. The barbed wire did a number on the beast, but, it still had more fight in it! 

It maneuvered in a way that made it hard to attack and in one last ditch effort, sprang on Ness. He fell back with a thud, but kept his bat point up, keeping the dog’s snout away from him. A black ooze dripped from the dog’s mouth, making Ness cringe at the disgusting sight.

“Ness!” Lucas cried, rushing to help his new acquaintance. Gathering up all of his courage, the blonde stabbed the dog in the back with his weapon. He lodged it far into the beast, but, the dog never gave up on Ness. Despite the pain, it kept attacking. 

“Lucas! I can’t hold him off much longer!” Ness exclaimed, groaning as he could feel himself slipping up. 

Lucas began shaking like a leaf. The dog was moving too fast to get a grip on his weapon, and it only seemed to anger it more as it lashed down at Ness. The timid boy clenched his hands and closed his eyes tightly before raising them up at the dog. 

A wavelength came from the boy’s hands as a powerful burst of psychic energy blasted at the beast, sending it flying into the air. Ness watched in awe and shock. That wasn’t him! And it definitely didn’t look like PK Rockin. The beast landed with a thud and a crack, several yards away. It didn’t move, and before long it was as good as dead. As soon as it appeared, it disappeared in a tuft of black smoke. Black ooze dripped from the smoke, leaving Lucas’ weapon drenched in it. 

Ness’ breathing was erratic as he tried regaining himself. He turned over to Lucas who only starred at his hands, then back at Ness. A psychic aura emanated from his hands. The two boys stared at each other, trying to catch their breaths from the panic. 

“I-I can explain …” Lucas stammered, “I only wanted to save you, so … please don’t freak out …” 

Ness blinked and finally stood up, cringing at a slight pain in his arms. He walked over with a confused look on his face. 

“You can use PSI too ..?” 

Perhaps, Lucas really was a great asset. Perhaps he could finally share what he had been holding in for so long. Another PSI user made him have faith in the world again. After all, that's what Giygas was trying to rid the world of by launching it into eternal darkness. From what Ness could tell, Lucas was scared and weary of showing off his powers too. 

But at least, neither of them were alone now. And now, they could figure out their next course of action together.


	3. Monster

He wasn’t sure how long he had been out, but, when he came to, the room was spinning and every part of his body hurt. Claus slowly opened his eyes and looked around, taking in what he could of the room. Despite the spinning sensation, and practically feeling like he had been hit with a wrecking ball, he studied what he could of the room. 

He was laying in a bed with red sheets sprawled across it. Next to him was a bedside table with a candle flickering slightly. That was the only thing keeping the room lit up. On the other side of the room, another bed was accompanied by a bedside table. Next to Claus’ bed, there was a window with curtains covering it and the walls seemed to be made out of a cement like substance. Wherever he was, it did seem rather cozy. But, then, he remembered what had happened. 

The last thing he recalled was losing his footing and making a terrible fall down a cliffside. He remembered pain washing over him until he fell unconscious. Had someone found him and brought him here? Panic began to set in as he thought of who could’ve found him. He had to get out of here, and fast! Pushing through the pain, he flung the covers off of him and stood on the floor, a bit wobbly. All at once, he felt nauseated. The room spun even more, and he felt a searing pain in his stomach. Claus fell to the ground, holding himself as he winced from the pain and nausea. He was in a strange place, and in that instant, he just wanted to be back home. 

“Dad …!” he cried out, pain lingering in his voice. “Lucas …!” 

He struggled to regain himself and stand up, but the pain was just too unbearable. What could be causing him such pain? It felt like something was stabbing him. He slowly reached for his shirt and lifted it up to inspect what had happened. His eyes widened when he found an incision along his chest. Did these people help him after he fell? Or … something much worse? Nonetheless, he couldn’t move. It was pointless trying to stand at this point. 

He perked up when he heard the door to the room creak open. His heart thudded wildly as he craned his neck to look at who had come in. Who he saw was a boy, maybe a little bit older than him, standing in the doorway. He wore a red hat with blue accents, a red bandana around his neck, and a multicolored long sleeved shirt. Accompanied with blue sneakers and jeans, he looked like a normal kid. He had black hair and brown eyes, not that Claus much cared for the smaller details. Before he could even talk, he winced again at the overwhelming pain. 

“Hey! Are you okay?” the boy asked, running into the room. He got to his knees and knelt beside Claus, “You really shouldn’t be up and about … you’re still injured.” 

“N-no …” Claus whined, trying his best to crawl away from the boy, “Let me go …” 

“Hey, don't worry … I’m not gonna hurt you …”   
“Leave me … alone …”  
“At least let me help you into bed … you took quite a nasty fall the other day, you know.” 

“No!” Claus slapped away the boy’s hands aggressively, “I just want to go home! Let me leave!” 

The boy sighed and backed away, letting Claus relax a moment. “Alright, then. Leave. Get up and go.” 

For a moment, Claus was relieved, but then he realized the boy had been playing him. Get up and leave? As if Claus could do that right now. He simply sighed and realized the circumstances. 

“Do you want my help or no?”   
“I … don’t even know you …” 

The boy smiled and placed a hand under Claus’ shoulder. “That’s easy, my name’s Ninten! And you’re Claus, right?” 

Claus starred back at him baffled. How did he know his name? Nonetheless, he let the boy called Ninten help him back into bed. Once he was positioned safely and more comfortably, Ninten pulled up a chair and sat beside his bed. 

Once Claus had calmed down, he turned towards Ninten, hoping to shed some light on the circumstances of everything. He was in a strange place with strange people, and what’s worse, he had an even stranger incision on his body. He needed to know what was happening. 

“Where are we?” Claus asked, “And are there more of you?” 

Ninten nodded, “Yeah, there’s a lot more, but they left a few days ago to go scavenging and recruiting. Our leader is a man named Fassad, and he keeps us all safe. We’re on the outskirts of a big city named Fourside and I think this place is some kind of military compound.” 

“So, your leader-- this Fassad guy-- he brought you all here?”

“I’m not sure. I arrived two years ago, but, I’m not exactly sure when the others arrived. There’s plenty of adults here, but aside from me, there’s only two other kids, and I don’t really care for them much.” he shrugged and chuckled a bit, “Actually, can’t say I care too much for the adults here either, but, they gave me a place to stay, so who am I to complain?” 

Claus went quiet, not answering him just yet. If he didn’t like anybody here, why would he stay? It didn’t make sense to him. Claus personally liked being on his own in the world. He thought people were dangerous, and quite frankly, he loved the solitude. Sure, he missed his old community more than anything, and he’d love to see his father and brother again, but, that would have to wait until later. After all, he still had to find the monster that killed his mother. 

“So, what about you? Were you travelling alone before all this? Did you have a community?” Ninten asked, cocking his head. 

Claus narrowed his eyes at the boy and shot him a glare. “Why should I tell you anything?” 

The other boy simply shrugged, “Well, seeing as how you’re here and we helped you, I thought we were on the same side now.” 

“The same side? Really? I don’t know who you or your people are. As soon as I’m better, I’m leaving.” 

Ninten shook his head, “You’ll have to take that up with Fassad, but, he really doesn’t like letting people leave. You’ll probably have to do something for him before he lets that happen …” he gave Claus a sympathetic smile, “But, it’s really not that bad here. Three meals a day, a place to sleep, safety … what more could you want?” 

At the mention of the meals, Claus’ stomach growled exceptionally loud. Loud enough to make Claus fluster in embarrassment. Ninten only chuckled heartily in his response. 

“How long has it been since you’ve had a hot meal? I could get you something if you’d like!”   
“I don’t know if I-” 

Suddenly the door opened, and both boys turned to see who it was. Appearing in the doorway was a kid around 15 or 16 and a kid maybe a little bit younger than Claus. Both boys sported blonde hair that covered their eyes, but one could tell they were giving Claus the stink eye. Claus only glared back. The older of the two boys wore a grey trench coat with dark blue shorts to match. He was a pretty heavy set boy. The younger of the two wore a hoodie and black pants. Across the boy’s chest, a white ‘P’ was sprawled on the front. The oldest sneered at the two. 

“Ninten, you’re not suppose to talk to him. Think about what Fassad’s gonna say.” the older boy said lowly. 

Ninten turned to him and rose a brow. “He fell out of bed. Was I just supposed to leave him there?” 

“Yes. If he’s going to stay here, he needs to learn how to do things on his own.” 

“He was in pain!” Ninten retaliated, “ I couldn’t just leave him there!” 

“Who said I wanted to stay anyway …” Claus grumbled, now glaring at the new boys in the room. The other three just looked at him, all showing varying emotions from sadness to anger. The youngest of the boys spoke up. 

“Look, sure he needed help, but we just don’t want Fassad yelling at us.”   
“Picky, shut up,” the older said, “If anybody’s getting in trouble, it’s Ninten.” 

As the two at the door argued with one another, Ninten turned back to Claus with a sympathetic smile. However, to Claus, these people were seriously insane. He just wanted to leave at that moment. Obviously the newcomers didn’t think very fondly of him, so why should he think that way towards them? Although, Ninten was being fairly welcoming, and that was definitely a welcome change. It wasn’t long before the arguing boys left the room, carrying their loud conversation through the halls. 

Ninten sighed heavily and looked at Claus apologetically, “I’m so sorry for them … that was Porky and Picky-- two brothers that showed up here right at the start.” he chuckled a bit, “As you can see, for being brothers, they sure don’t know how to get along very well!” 

Claus shrugged, “I know how it is. I used to fight sometimes with my brother …” At the thought of Lucas, a warm feeling flowed through Claus. He instantly remembered the good times they shared, despite their quarrels as kids. What would’ve happened had the world not turned dark? Would they still be living happily in Tazmily? His thoughts were cut short when a very intrigued Ninten prodded him with questions. 

“Oooh, you have a brother?” Ninten asked, a spark seemingly glowing in his eyes. He sure was nosy, but, already Claus was beginning to like him better than the others. But, a voice kept ringing in his head telling him not to let too much information out. After all, he had only just told Ninten a few minutes early that he shouldn’t tell him anything. He still wasn't sure how trustworthy this people were. And if Porky and Picky were any indication of how they were, they were mentally insane for sure. 

“Yeah, we were living far away from here, but, I had to leave my community. I’m kinda on a mission now.” 

“A mission? What kind of mission?” Claus was really glad when Ninten didn’t ask further about his community. Perhaps this kid really was the only on with logical reasoning in this place.Telling him this wouldn’t put him in a bad position, right? 

“I uh, I’m gonna avenge my mom. Back when this first started, a man came out of the woods and …” he sighed and shook his head, “He killed her right in front of her family …” 

Ninten’s eyes widened at his story. “Aw, Claus, I’m so sorry … I can’t believe that happened to you …” 

“You know, I sometimes wonder if there were ways it could’ve played out differently …” his eyes strained in a pained way as he clenched the bed sheets. “Sometimes, I wonder if it should’ve been me …” 

When Ninten didn’t answer, Claus looked over at him and saw a worried look cross his face. Perhaps that wasn’t the best thing to say in the moment. In the end, Claus chuckled and shook his head. “But, it happened, so I guess there’s not much I can do now. But, I will make it a mission of mine to find the man who killed her and …” 

Ninten raised a brow, “And …?” 

“I … actually don’t know. Kill him?” he shrugged, “Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever find this guy. He’s eluded me for almost a year and it happened so long ago … he could be anywhere.” 

A moment of silence passed before Ninten placed a hand on Claus’ shoulder. The ginger looked over at the other boy who bore a smile. Despite being a stranger, it was as if Claus had already known Ninten for a long while. He sure knew how to make him feel better, which was a strange and foreign feeling to Claus. 

“Well, if and when you do find him, karma will definitely catch up with him. You’ll do what needs to be done … I just know it.” And with that, Ninten stood up from his chair and clapped his hands together. “Anyhow, I was gonna get you some food before we were so rudely interrupted, right? We’ve got plenty of food to spare, so I could make you something good!” 

“How come you’re being so nice to me?” 

“How come …? Well …” Ninten didn’t really know the answer off the top of his head. Was it out of desperation to have someone to talk to? Someone who wasn’t like Porky or Picky? Even after just this short conversation, Ninten could tell Claus was a good person. Maybe a little bit troubled, but definitely a good person. Finally, he came up with his answer. “ … You’re scared right? You’re in a scary, strange place and you don’t know anyone. I figured you could use a friend right now. Besides, you seem decent enough to me!” 

Claus chuckled, “You shouldn’t be so naive.”   
“I’m not naive! I just know a good person when I see them! Anyhow, let me go get you something to eat. Don’t go anywhere!” 

And with that, Ninten left, slamming the door behind him. The resulting slam made Claus cringe as he sunk into the bed. “Don’t go anywhere, he says … as if I could go anywhere like this …”

He relaxed his head into the pillow and sighed. Again, he reached under his shirt and brushed his fingers against the incision on his stomach, wincing a bit. In the past, Claus had to stitch up minor wounds while he was travelling alone and remembered how crude they felt. This stitch job was done with care. Ever so slowly, Claus was beginning to think that maybe these people weren’t as bad as he gave them credit for. Someone here really tried to save him and heal him. 

He figured Ninten would be a while and was about to doze off for some well deserved rest, when the door creaked open once again. Claus looked back, half expecting it to be Ninten with the food. His hopes were cut short when saw the younger of the brothers standing in the doorway. Of course Ninten wouldn’t be back already, Picky closed the door behind him and walked over to Claus. He didn’t seem to be glaring, but he also wasn’t smiling. It was as if the boy felt neutral towards Claus. 

“So, how are you feeling?” Picky asked, blue eyes gazing through his bangs. 

Claus hesitated for a moment before answering. “Fine, I guess … could be better, could be worse.” 

“That’s to be expected. Fassad did say you took quite a fall.”   
“So, it was that Fassad guy who saved me.”   
“Who knows? Could’ve been someone else. But, Fassad insisted on bringing you back before continuing their recruitment. He obviously saw potential in you.” 

“Potential in me?” Claus chuckled, “I’m nothing special.”   
“You must be if Fassad thinks that way.” 

An awkward silence fell over the two before Picky decided to pick up the conversation again. “I don’t think Ninten should’ve talked to you, but, I also think he did the right thing in helping you. My brother thinks the only way to survive is to care for yourself and let others fend for themselves, but, having allies is also helpful too.” 

The younger boy extended a hand to Claus and gave him a smile. It wasn’t as friendly as Ninten’s, but, it was definitely an improvement in believing these people were genuine. 

“My name’s Picky. It’s Claus, right?”   
“Yeah,” Claus took his hand, shaking it, “Nice to meet you.” 

“Same here. Glad to have you on our side. Oh, and, don’t mind my brother … he always acts like a jerk. It’s just something you need to get used to.” 

Claus and Picky continued their conversation for a while before he figured he’d let him rest a bit. It wasn’t long after he left that Claus was able to close his eyes and get some sleep. For once he was finally able to rest in a comfy bed. It had been a very, very long year, and he forgot how much he missed the plush feeling of comfort. For the longest time, finding a soft patch of grass was enough for him. But, now? This was pure bliss. He soon fell fast asleep. An hour or so later, Ninten brought him his first hot meal he had had in years. Perhaps he could get used to life here. At least for a little while.

* * *

Over the course of several days, Claus was bedridden. He was lucky enough to have Ninten as his roommate however and the two had plenty of conversations. Claus even learned that Ninten was in the same situation as him. When the world first turned dark, much like Claus, Ninten had somehow wound up in this world. Neither of them understood how that worked, but, perhaps in due time it’d become apparent. 

The two shared personal stories and even found out they shared similar interests. Claus was truly beginning to think he could stay for a bit. Perhaps having Fassad and his group on his side, he really stood a chance at avenging his mother! Things were truly starting to look up! 

On the fourth day of being at the compound, Claus was finally starting to walk. Ninten walked in and noticed him pacing about the room, mostly looking to just stretch his legs. He gave Claus a happy look. 

“I see you’re finally starting to move~”   
“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. I thought that incision would be hurting for a long time.” 

Ninten shook his head, “Nah, our medics know what they’re doing. You’re lucky they found you when they did,” 

Ninten sat on his bed and watched as Claus did the same. This was usually how most of their conversations started. But, this time, Ninten had a more serious conversation in mind. 

“So, hey, did you mean what you said to Porky yesterday …?” 

“Huh?” Claus was caught off guard by his question. “Oh, you mean about leaving? I have to. I thought I could stay, but, at this point I really need to get back to my family. Let them know I’m alright. As much as I want to find the man that killed my mom, I really need to make sure my dad and brother are alright …” 

“I understand … but, you should at least wait until Fassad gets back. He’d be furious if he found out you left without him actually meeting you.” 

“No offense to you or anybody else here, but, from the stories you’ve told me, Fassad kinda sounds like a dick. I don’t think I want to meet him.” 

“You’re not wrong-- definitely not. But, he’s gotta be hard on us all if we’re gonna survive.” Ninten looked to the bedside table by him and reached into one of the drawers. He pulled out an inhaler and looked over at Claus, “He’s actually been working with me to overcome this big problem of mine …” 

Claus narrowed his eyes at the inhaler, “You have asthma …?” 

 

“Yeah, and Fassad doesn’t really like it when I get attacks … but, it happens pretty often and he gets furious with me …” he shook his head and put the inhaler back, “... he calls me a liability whenever I get an asthma attack … threatens to kick me out.” 

“That’s not fair!” Claus exclaimed, “What a dick! I can’t believe he’d say that to you-- it’s not like you can control them!” 

“But, he’s right in the end … it does make me a liability. I need to learn to have control over it, otherwise he really will leave me for dead …” 

“Ninten, you can’t change something you can’t control. He’s a jerk for thinking that can be controlled … you shouldn’t have to put up with that!” 

Ninten gave him a half smile. “That’s really nice to hear, Claus … but, I’ll be fine. I’ve been fine for two years, so, what’s stopping me now?” 

The two stopped for a moment before Ninten finally perked up. In all of their serious chatter and the fact that Clau had been bedridden for several days, he completely forgot to mention another perk about living here. 

“Hey, let's move on from all that!” he clapped his hands together and gave Claus a big smile, “I've been meaning to ask, but you’d probably like to take a hot shower, wouldn’t you?” 

Claus’s eyes widened and he stared at Ninten in bewilderment. “You guys have hot water here?!” 

Ninten nodded happily and hopped of his bed, “Yeah! I can show you to the showers if you’d like. Do you think you’re good to walk? It’s not very far.” 

Claus carefully slid off the bed, careful not to mess with the incision and nodded, following closely behind Ninten. He led Claus out of the warmly lit room, and into the darkened hallways. The door closed with a creak and Ninten guided Claus through the dark. 

“If you start hurting, let me know and we can stop for a minute.”   
“I’m fine. It actually hasn’t been hurting as bad lately.”   
“That’s good to hear! I’m glad!” 

Before long, their eyes finally began to adjust to the darkness, and Claus could finally make out Ninten’s silhouette in front of him. He followed closely, listening as Ninten pointed out different facilities and rooms as they passed. Claus had forgotten this place was a military compound, so it was bound to have plenty of different facilities and whatnot. 

“Ever since the beginning we’ve had electric generators and hot water tanks, so we’ll been living in luxury since it all began. It’s been really nice.” 

“I can’t remember the last time I had a bath-- or a shower-- god it’s had to have been before the start of this all.” 

Ninten chuckled and in the darkness nodded in response, “Yeah, I can tell. You smell pretty bad.” 

Before Claus could retort, they finally made it to the showers and Ninten opened up the iron door, revealing a pristine, white room. Sinks and stalls aligned the walls, and bright lights glared overhead. Claus walked in and Ninten followed. It was so bright-- it was actually quite blinding. 

“So, I can take whichever stall I want?”   
“Whichever one you want! There’s no towels, so you’ll have to drip-dry.”   
“That’s not a problem at all.” 

Ninten turned to exit the room before glancing back at Claus, “You know your way back?”   
“Yeah, I think so.”   
“Alright! Then I’ll be waiting back at the room for you!” 

Once Ninten left, Claus made his way towards one of the stalls and pulled back the shower curtain. Even the showers were clean, not that he could complain. He kicked his shoes off and neatly folded his clothes outside before stepping in. In due time, he figured out the space shuttle that was the knobs of the shower and was blasted with freezing cold water. 

He let out a yipe at first, leaping backwards, but slowly the water turned lukewarm, then warmer, and finally it was at the perfect temperature. Claus sighed as he let the warm water hit his head and cascade down his face. It had been years since his last shower, and all at once he could feel the grime and muck from his face melting away. If he had it his way, he would stay like this forever. Aside from being in the bed, he forgot what warmth felt like-- and it felt awesome. 

Then he remembered the incision on his stomach and glanced down at it. Although the medic had done a great job at sewing him up, the skin around the stitches looked red and puffy. As he stared at it, all of the worst possible scenarios started racing in his mind. Was it infected? Had it been stitched up wrong? In the end, he figured he’d just wash it and hope for the best. When this Fassad guy returned, he’d ask him or one of the medics how to properly handle it. 

He didn’t realize how long his shower was going on for until the water started cooling. He quickly washed and turned the knobs, wishing it could’ve went on longer. 

He waited a moment to dry before getting dressed again and then heading back into the dark hallway. Claus had never felt so refresh in all his life, or at least, it seemed that way right now. As he walked out into the darkened hallways, he went back in the direction he and Ninten came from, hoping to find the room once again. Before long, he was exactly where he hoped to be. 

He opened the door quietly, hoping it wouldn’t creak too much and was happy to see he had the right room. Ninten was sitting on his bed, fidgeting with a slingshot. After getting to know the boy over the past few days, Claus learned that his weapons of choice were a slingshot with metal pellets and a boomerang. Definitely not what he was expecting, but, so long as it worked, what did it matter? 

Ninten sat up and sat the slingshot aside, “You sure took a long time~” he said with a chuckle. 

“I haven’t showered in years. I forgot what it felt like.” he sat on his bed, and sprawled out sighing, “I never thought I’d take a hot shower again.” 

“Well, at least you don’t smell anymore! I could really tell that was the case!”   
“Oh, shut up.” 

Ninten was about to reply with a witty retort but, after hearing a noise outside, Ninten suddenly stopped. Claus sat up and looked at him with a confused look. The other boy darted from his bed and jumped up onto Claus’ crawling towards the window and pulling back the curtain. 

“What’s wrong?” Claus asked, cocking his head.   
Ninten’s eyes widened, “They’re back!” 

“Wait, Fassad and the others?” 

Ninten didn’t reply and dove off the bed, putting his boomerang and slingshot into the loops of his belt. He turned back to Claus and gave him a nod. 

“We need to hurry and get out there! Fassad will want to meet you …” 

Without further inquiry, Claus followed suit, watching as Ninten ran out of the room and into the darkened hallway. He hadn’t seen him run this fast and became worried that his asthma would kick in. Nonetheless, he darted after him. It wasn’t long before the duo saw Porky and Picky walking down the hallway as well. 

“Ninten, where are you going?!” Porky called out, a bit annoyed, “You’re being so loud!”   
“Fassad’s back! Hurry up, Porky!” Ninten wheezed. 

All at once, the other boys’ expressions suddenly changed and they darted after Claus and Ninten. Before long, all four boys found themselves in an open room with big doors leading outside. When they came to a stop, both Porky and Ninten were breathing heavily, but Claus was more concerned about the friend he had made here. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Claus asked, placing a hand on Ninten’s back, “Maybe you should've brought your inhaler …” 

“No,” Ninten said in a wheezy tone, “I’m fine … it’ll go away soon …” 

As Ninten and Porky attempted to catch their breaths, the doors finally opened from outside, and the three boys who had lived here for so long took a stiff pose as people flowed into the room. Wanting to make a good impression, Claus followed suit, posing in the same way-- stiff and serious. 

People in dark clothing poured in, some holding guns, and others holding melee weapons. Several nodded at the boys, and others said hello to Porky or Ninten. Still, neither boy moved a muscle. Claus found it especially weird that Ninten was shaking like a leaf. Was he that scared of Fassad? Immediately, the entire room went quiet and Ninten’s eyes darted forward towards a man of short stature. He was maybe a foot or so taller than the boys. 

The man showed himself, dressed in what he could only explain as a military coat with black pants and boots to follow. The man wore a headpiece akin to desert wear, and had a scowl on his face. Around his torso was a bag and a holster for a gun. His eyes darted between the four boys and finally landed on Claus first. The man’s scowl seemed to pierce through Claus, but he didn’t let it bother him. If anything, he felt himself glaring back at him. 

“So, it seems you’re finally awake, eh?” Fassad finally asked, “That’s good. Now we can finally get down to business. I wonder if you’re just as feisty as the day I met you.” 

Claus was a bit unnerved by his comment, but, decided to go ahead with his question anyway. “Fassad, sir, you were the one that saved me when I fell from the cliff, right? Is that what you meant by when you met me?” Claus asked, still not moving from his stiff position, “At least, that’s what Ninten said.” 

Ninten didn’t look at Claus, but it looked as if he’s eyes bugged out of his head. He began shaking and looked as if he were going to cry. Perhaps he shouldn’t have said that? 

Fassad glared at Ninten who looked like he’d crack under the pressure. “Oh, so you spoke to him? And I see he’s showered too. Did you feed him perhaps? Ninten, you know that’s not allowed.” His voice was low and threatening, and it was enough to make Ninten’s lip quiver with fear. 

“I-I … just wanted to … help him, sir …” he spoke in a terrified, cracked voice. “He fell and …” 

“That’s enough. I don’t want to hear that.” Fassad demanded, “I’ll deal with you at a later time, Ninten.” his eyes darted back to Claus and he shook his head, “Boy, I wasn’t referring to when I saved your sorry ass. I’m referring to the day when I destroyed your hope-- back three years ago.” 

Claus narrowed his eyes at Fassad, utterly confused. “What the hell are you talking about …?” He felt his heart sink when Fassad smiled a dastardly smile. Who was this guy …? 

“I know you remember. After all, how could you forget? You looked at me with a burning need to kill. Where’s that fire in your eyes now? Have you lost that need? If you have, then I’m afraid we can’t use you to your full potential.” 

Suddenly, it him, and all those painful memories came flooding back. His mother dying in Flint’s arms, Lucas sobbing uncontrollably, and the man that had caused it all. It was Fassad! In that instant, Claus remembered the same evil grin from three years ago. Nothing had changed, but one thing was for certain, he finally found the murderer. Claus’s pupils shrunk and he brought his hands to either side of his head as he staggered backwards, breathing heavily. 

Ninten glanced back worriedly at his new friend, “Claus …?” he whispered, “What’s wrong …?”

Fassad nodded, “Ahh, it seems he’s finally remembered! Perfect! Now, everything will fall into place.” 

Claus was seeing red. Flashes of red and muffled voices filled his head. His fingernails dug into his skin as he remembered every horrible detail of that night. Fassad had killed her. It was him. He put a knife to her throat and killed her, leaving him and his family to grieve. He didn’t understand why he did what he did, but he was beyond furious. A hot burst of anger was welling up within Claus, so much so he couldn’t hold it in any longer. 

“You …” he growled lowly, now tugging at his hair, “YOU!!” 

Without warning, Claus leapt forward at Fassad and using all of his strength, pushed through the pain in his stomach and lashed out at him. He balled up his hand into a fist, and with everything he had, punched the man square in the face. It was enough to send him falling backwards. Claus’s breath was shaky and rapid as he stared at the man. His knuckles tingled with a burning sensation as he was sure blood began dripping from them. Tears welled in his eyes, and he was ready to attack again, this time, with a much deadlier attack. 

“Fassad!” Porky yelled, running to the man’s aid.   
“Watch out, you fool!” 

Fassad moved Porky aside and dodged out of Claus’s next attack. This time, the ginger fired a powerful PSI attack at the man. Those who didn’t move out of the way in time were blasted away at the wall. They lay there, unmoving. Regaining himself, Fassad saw the boy coming at him once again. 

“Restrain him! Both of you!!” 

Knowing who Fassad was talking to, Ninten and Porky both reached for Claus, restraining his arms, ultimately rendering him unable to attack again. The boy kicked and tried furiously to break free of the restraints, but Porky and Ninten were just too strong. 

Fassad finally stood up and brought his hand to his nose, watching as blood dripped onto his hand. He glared at Claus with anger burning in his eyes. “You little shit! You broke my nose!” 

Claus struggled to break free, but much to his dismay, nothing was working. Ninten felt awful for having to restrain him-- disgusted even. He was his new friend … why did it have to come to this? Porky however, bore a sinister smile the entire time. 

“YOU KILLED MY MOM!!” Claus cried out, furiously trying to attack him again, “YOU KILLED HER RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER HUSBAND AND KIDS!!” 

Fassad said nothing and stood up, wiping the blood from his face. 

“SHE WAS BEGGING TO BE SPARED AND YOU DID IT ANYWAY!” tears fell from Claus’ face as he finally accepted everything. His screams of anger turned into pained whimpers. His head fell and he began shaking. 

“You … you fucking monster …” Claus cried as shaky breaths left him. He finally found the man that had killed her, and now he couldn’t even do anything. How pathetic could he get? 

Ninten felt his heart sink as he finally began to put the pieces together. Fassad had really killed Claus’s mother all that time ago? It was all starting to make sense. He knew Fassad was terrible, but, he never expected him to be this bad! 

Fassad had no more to say on the matter. He had awoken the anger he wanted to find, and what’s more, the boy had PSI abilities. That was definitely something that could become useful. With a wave of his hand, two figures in dark clothing approached Claus slowly. 

In an instant, Claus’ fighting spirit returned to him, and he tried lashing out again, this time at the new figures approaching him. He screamed out at Fassad, making sure he heard him loud and clear. 

“YOU’RE FUCKING EVIL!!” Claus screamed, hoping to break free, “I’D RATHER DIE THAN WORK FOR YOU! I’LL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEE--” 

Claus tried his best to keep the figures at bay, but after a few quick jabs from his enemies, he felt a searing pain in his shoulder. In an instant, the boy had been properly knocked unconscious. When they felt his body go limp, Ninten and Porky gently lowered him to the ground. While Porky felt immense satisfaction in watching him go down, Ninten felt his chest heave at the sight of this all. He glanced back at Picky who only stood there just as stiff as ever. Had none of this even phased him? 

Before approaching the boys, Fassad attempted to move his nose back into place. With a crack, he let out a groan of pain. “Take the boy to the cells. He needs to be properly restrained before he wakes up. Medics, take care of that incision-- make sure it didn’t open during his tantrum.” 

A person cloaked in black approached him, “But, sir, your nose …” 

“His is of utmost importance. Take care of him first, then worry about me.”   
“As you wish, sir.” 

Everyone began to empty out of the room just as quickly as they had entered. Porky grabbed his brother and ran off for their room, but not before getting praised by Fassad. The man approached Ninten and placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy shuddered at the feel and looked up at him with pained eyes. 

“Good job, Ninten. I think I’ll let the mistakes you made recently go after this.” he walked away into the darkened building, still calling out to him, “No go to your room for some shut eye. We’ll need your help in a few hours.” 

In that instant, Ninten couldn’t help but feel angry and sad. Claus didn’t deserve any of this! All at once, he began to realize the true evil intentions of this group, and what Fassad was really capable of. 

He needed to get Claus out. Tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think for a while, the chapters are going to switch from Lucas and Ness's story to Ninten and Claus's story every other chapter. That way each story gets it's respective time!   
> Hope you guys are enjoying this so far! It's been really fun to write! As always, feeback is welcome~


	4. Luck

“You’ve been using your PSI all this time?” 

“Well, kinda …” Lucas shrugged, “Usually only when I need to. Like making a fire or lighting the way …”

“You really should be conserving it. That’s how I’ve made mine last three years.” 

“I only just discovered my powers recently. I couldn’t imagine conserving it for three years. How do you even have any power left?” 

“It’s very weak,” Ness replied, looking at his fingertips, “I can only use basic PSI now, really. Even after all that conserving, I can feel it growing weaker and weaker … what I’m trying to say is, you need to conserve whatever power you have left. You never know when you might need it.” 

That conversation rang in Lucas’ mind as he tried to drift off to sleep. The fire crackle somewhat lulled him to sleep, but now every other crack that he picked up kept him wide awake. It was impossible to sleep. Several days had passed since he started travelling with Ness, and he could tell the other boy was growing used to him ever so slightly. He had begun to sleep soundly while around Lucas, whereas a couple of days ago he would’ve stayed up straight through the night. It was a good thing too-- he could tell Ness was losing lots of sleep. 

Along with the both of them being sleep deprived and hungry, their power was draining faster than they would’ve liked. Ness had somehow managed to make his last for three whole years, barely able to find a way to replenish his strength. Lucas hadn’t realized, but, conserving his power was incredibly important. Once it was gone, there was no telling if he could ever get it back. As he always did when he thought to himself about these kinds of things, he looked at his fingertips, ready to let out a small burst of psychic power. However, heeding Ness’ warning, he withheld it. In the morning, it’d probably be a good idea to search for food-- they were both running low after all. And who knew? Maybe they’d even come across a way to replenish their power. It’d help aid them in their chances of beating this world and finding their loved ones! 

Despite the forest cracking around them, Lucas was able to find the sleep he desperately craved and finally drifted off to sleep. He longed for the days when he could sleep soundly, but, with the world the way it was, sound sleep wasn’t something that he could do. 

It felt like only moments had passed before Lucas awoke again. Ness was by the fire, stomping out the remains of a once roaring flame. Guess it was time to get moving again. Lucas sat up with a stretch and gave Ness a smile. He was always the first one up, which was quite strange considering Lucas had lived on a farm all his childhood. He was so used to getting up early, but now that days no longer existed, it was hard to tell exactly what time it was. 

“What time is it?” Lucas asked, looking over at him as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

Ness reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out wrist watch that seemed to be straight out of the nineties.It was a digital sports watch that Ness had received from his father, not that Lucas knew or anything. Red numbers glowed from it and numerous buttons lined the side. It was lucky for both of them that he had a clock during the end of the world. 

“10:30 AM. Says it’s Wednesday, though, not sure if I believe this thing anymore.” he tucked it away again and sighed. Whenever Lucas looked at him, he always found him fiddling with that watch. Whether he was just staring at it or playing with it, it always seemed to be in his hands. It must’ve been special to Ness, seeing how often he held it. 

Lucas had never seen a watch like that in his short thirteen years of life. A pocket watch, sure, but nothing that looked like that. Blinking numbers and a sleek design made it look like something out of a science fiction novel. To Lucas, it was the strangest thing. He had lived in a small village with such little technology for ten years, and suddenly being thrusted into a strange world with strange things was scary. Although, Ness seemed comforted by it. Lucas only he assumed he’d have to change with the times as well. 

With a sigh, Lucas stood up and stretched. “Guess we should be heading out then?” 

“Yeah, it’s not safe to stay in one place for too long.” Ness turned to the blonde and narrowed his eyes, “You wouldn’t happen to know where your brother was headed do you? Any leads at all?” 

Lucas shook his head as his eyes grew worried, “No … he left without saying a thing. I hate to keep wandering around aimlessly, but I’m not sure where to begin. What about you?”

“No idea. My friends just disappeared without a trace.” Ness shrugged, “For all I know, they could very well be dead … but I don’t like thinking that way. It can’t be true.” 

“I’m sure they’re alive out there. Just like Claus is.” he gave a reassuring smile to Ness, “We’ll find them. Even if it takes longer than we’d like.” 

Ness turned to him and felt almost relieved when he saw his smile. In the several days he had gotten to know Lucas, he realized he was a gentle kid. He knew how to hold his own in a fight, and he was definitely reliable, but damn it, he was just wait too nice for his own good. To Ness, it was nice to have someone to assure him everything would be alright, but at the same time, that caring attitude would only cause trouble. 

Ness grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulder and watched as Lucas gathered his things. The only thing remaining on the fire were cinders that would burn out soon enough. Other than that, it was as if they hadn’t been there. Lucas grabbed hold of his pointed stick and nodded at Ness that he was ready to go. Making sure they had everything once again, they headed off into the dark unknown. The chances of finding their loved ones today was slim, but, they kept their spirits high. After several days of lows and finding nothing, they had to find something today. 

They just had to.

* * *

“So, how come we have to conserve our energy so much? There’s no magic butterflies around?” 

“I haven’t seen a butterfly in years. If they are around, they’re in hiding. I haven’t been lucky with finding food, and even if I get sleep, I don’t feel myself recovering much.” 

Lucas bit the inside of his cheek as he heard the response. Now it was all starting to make sense. Magic butterflies were a sure fire way to gain their PSI power back, but, if they were hidden or gone forever, there was no way of recovering mass amounts. Granola bars and the little sleep they did get was definitely not enough to keep their power there for much longer. Even if Lucas did have a lot at the moment, he didn’t know how long it’d last. Especially if he kept forgetting to conserve it. 

“Well, I’m sure we’ll find something. There’s gotta be food somewhere, right?” Lucas asked, as he followed closely behind Ness. 

Ness only shrugged, “I dunno. Every place I’ve tried ransacking was completely searched through. I would only find things people left behind. Not enough to recover strength. Sure, it kept me fed, but,” Lucas was sorry he even asked. 

The two went quiet as they normally did. There wasn’t much one could do to keep the conversation going, not that Ness minded. After all, he was used to the quiet. Lucas however, only felt the situation grow more awkward the quieter they were. Occasionally, he’d break the silence with another conversation or a question, but, that didn’t end up lasting long either. The two walked for a long time, barely stopping for any breaks. They had to keep moving if they wanted to make any sort of progress. 

Just when they were sure they were going around in circles or making no progress whatsoever, something caught Lucas’ attention. He looked around, and strained to listen on what he was hearing. He left Ness’ side and diverged away from the boy. Ness only noticed when he heard Lucas crinkling in the dead leaves. 

 

“Where are you going??” he asked, following after him, “Hey, we’re supposed to stick together!”

“I think I hear something. It sounds like water.” 

“It’s probably just a river or something. Just because the world went dark doesn’t mean time has completely stopped.” 

But, Lucas didn’t listen and instead moved forward, following the sound he was sure he could hear. He heard Ness groan behind him as the boy followed suit, not wanting to lose his travelling companion. Ness hated to admit it, but, he did feel safer with Lucas. Perhaps he truly did miss having traveling companions. Being alone really took a lot of out a person. 

Before long, Ness began hearing the water too, but it wasn’t the sound of rushing water like a river or running water like a creek. If anything, it sounded still, but one could still hear the ripples. Lucas glanced back at him with a smug smile. 

“See? I knew I wasn’t insane!”   
“I never said you were--”   
“No, but I’m sure you were thinking it.” 

Ness huffed in a way that sounded similar to a chuckle and continued following him. After a moment or two of walking a little more, the boys began to feel warmth around them, almost as if the air was growing humid. That seemed strange, but it also provoked them even more to find out what was causing the sensations and nosies. 

Lucas finally pushed through the brush and found the source of the water. Sitting before them, amidst a cloud of steam was a rocky hot spring! Lucas’s eyes widened with delight as he hadn’t seen one in years! They were scattered around Tazmily village for miles, and it was always great whenever he was able to use one. Three years of not taking a proper bath really sucked. What an opportunity this was! 

Ness rose a brow as Lucas dashed out from the brush. “Is that a hot spring?” Ness had only seen one or two during his adventures. They weren’t all that common in Eagleland, so seeing such a pristine one here of all places seemed strange. 

“Yeah! I can’t believe this!” Lucas darted towards the water, and gently dipped his fingers in to test the water. It was so warm! “This is awesome!” 

He tossed his backpack aside and slipped his shoes off. Ness’ eyes widened and he ran at him, stopping him from continuing. Lucas looked over at him in confusion. 

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” 

This time, Lucas rose a brow at his travelling companion, “Why not? It's just a spring.” 

“It could be a trick or a trap. I dunno, it just feels so out of place for it to be here, completely untouched ...” 

Lucas glanced at Ness in utter confusion. A trap? How could it be a trap? Did he think the water was toxic or something? They had the opportunity to refresh themselves, potentially recover their power, and Ness didn’t wanna take that chance? Ness was acting weird-- more weird than usual. But, perhaps being alone for such a long time made Ness weary of certain things. Lucas could see himself being like that had things been different. But still, it was a perfectly fine hot spring just waiting there for them. 

“You’re overreacting. It’s a hot spring! What could be so bad about a hot spring?” 

Ness remained quiet and only gave him a worried expression. Lucas sighed and realized it wouldn’t be easy to change his mind. “I can go in first if you’d like-- to prove it’s safe?” 

Ness shrugged and finally backed off. If Lucas was crazy enough to trust it was safe, then fine. Something about this hot spring seemed off, but Ness couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Ness crossed his arms and turned away, leaning against the rocks. 

“Fine. Do what you want, but don’t come complaining to me when the water eats away at your skin or something.” 

Lucas chuckled as he removed his shirt and places it carefully next to his pack. “You worry too much. It’s gonna be fine, you’ll see.” 

Ness waited a moment for Lucas to finish before he finally heard him get in the water. He turned back to see him in the water, looking completely soothed. Ness had to admit, it did look rather relaxing, but he had to make sure it was safe. At least he and Lucas weren’t too close, otherwise if something happened it really would be a loss. If something happened now, oh well. 

“Well, how is it? Do you feel anything strange?” 

Lucas sighed and relaxed his head against the rock as he let his body seep into the water. “It’s great … I forgot what this felt like.” Ness watched as Lucas took a breath and dropped his head under the water, much to Ness’s dismay. He ran to the side where Lucas had gone watched the blonde pop back up. He shook the water from his hair and looked back at Ness with a smile, “See? It’s fine! Nothing to worry about!” 

Once again, Ness examined the water. It did seem clean-- nothing looked too out of the ordinary. Accepting his defeat, Ness finally nodded. “Fine. But, if anything bad happens, I blame you.” 

“Blame me all you like. But, you can also thank me when you’re clean~” 

Ness turned back towards Lucas’s things and set his backpack next to his. He started undressing and halfway through turned to see Lucas staring at him. Embarrassment welled up inside of him as a red flush crossed his face. “Uh, do you mind?” 

Lucas blinked, “What do you mean?” 

Ness waved his hand at Lucas, “Turn the other way. Don’t look.”

“Why not?” Lucas cocked his head, again confused by the raven haired boy’s wishes. 

“‘Why not’ he says.” Ness mocked, “Just do it. Please?” 

“Okay …” Lucas turned the other way and relaxed his head against the rock again, letting the spring was away his worries. It wasn’t long before he heard the water rippling at the other side of the spring. When he opened his eyes again, Ness was in the water as well. 

“Well?” 

“It’s nice … I guess …” Ness sighed and let himself sink into the water, “Okay, it’s really nice …” 

Lucas chuckled at his reaction, “See~? What did I tell ya~?” 

When Ness was finally relaxed, the boys took all the time in the world in the spring. For having not showered in years, they needed this. It felt nice to be clean again, and above all else, they felt completely relaxed. After nearly getting killed by a giant wolf beast and barely having any food, this was their one saving grace of the week. Not only that, but the boys were sure they could feel their PSI power replenishing, even if it was just by a bit. 

They weren’t sure how much time had passed, and they were even sure they had passed out at one point. Lucas rose a hand and saw the wrinkles, signifying they had overstayed their welcome. He sighed and waded over towards Ness. 

“I’m turning into a prune. We should probably go. It’d be nice if we could set up a base here.” 

Ness nodded, “It would be nice, but, we wouldn’t make any progress if we did that. We have no idea how far Claus has gone.” 

“Well, it was good while it lasted then.” Lucas clambered out of the spring and back onto the ground. Ness did the same but on the other side to give them both a little decency. Lucas tossed Ness his things upon his asking and the two dressed quickly as to not linger anymore than they’d have to. 

Once they were ready, Lucas pulled out a flashlight from his pack and shone it over at Ness. The other boy had taken out a map of the area. Just another perk of him being around for so long. With a pen in hand, he located where they were and circled the hot spring’s location. 

“Just in case we’re ever in the area-- we can double back here and use it again. Although, nothing is really close to this place … so hopefully we find another one in the future …” Ness explained, as he drew out the point of interest on the map. 

“Man, that’d be nice …” Lucas said dreamily, “It’d be nice if we could find a lot more. I wouldn’t mind it at all.” 

“Don’t get your hopes up. This was a once in a lifetime chance. I don’t think it’s gonna happen again.” he tucked the map into his backpack and threw it over his shoulder before standing. “Though, it would be nice.” 

“Keeping my hopes up is what got me this far though.” he turned the flashlight off and tucked it into the pocket on the side of his bag. “It’s all I have to go on. That’s not a bad thing, right?” 

“No, I suppose it isn’t …” Ness replied, a small smile curving on his lips.

The boys grabbed everything they had on them and trudged back through the brush, taking one last glance at their saving grace. At least they know it’s whereabouts and they knew they could always come back. But, for now? It was time to press on.

* * *

It had been hours since they left the hot spring, and although they felt refreshed and full of life when they had left, all of a sudden that energy was replaced with drowsiness and a need to sleep. It wasn’t even that late, and yet, both felt the need to stop for the night. It wouldn’t be productive to stop without finding something, so they continued on, despite their bodies crying out to stop for a break. 

In an attempt to try and keep the mood light, Lucas spoke up to Ness. “So, this seems like it’s coming from nowhere, but I have a question.” 

“What’s up?” 

“What food do you miss the most from before this all happened? Personally, I miss omelettes the most.” 

Ness replied with an exaggerated groan, “Oh my god, I miss steak the most. It’s been so long since I’ve had that-- let alone a hot meal.” he could feel his mouth watering just thinking about it. 

Lucas sighed as he thought about the omelettes his mom used to make. After all, they were a staple of his childhood. “Tell me about it … augh I miss hot meals so much …” 

As if on cue, both of them felt their stomachs growl out, demanding to be fed. Lucas chuckled a bit and placed his hand on his belly. “Ahh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make us hungry … just wish we had more to eat than beans and granola bars is all …” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice. I’d be happy with a bag of chips, even if they’re stale as hell. I’d take anything at this point.” 

The two continued their talk as they quietly trudged on through the forest. Although, the more they talked about food and things they missed prior to the dark world, the more they began to realize how hungry they really were. They were running low on canned food and granola bars, so they’d have to scavenge sooner or later. The two finally found the woods ending abruptly as they found a cement street leading towards a deserted town. On the outskirts was a gas station-- their wish had been granted! 

Lucas cocked his head and stared at the building in the distance, “What is that place?” Growing up in a small village, there weren’t many places that looked like that. 

“A gas station! If there’s gonna be food, it’s gonna be there!” he picked up the pace and ran towards the building. Lucas followed in hot pursuit. “Hopefully no one’s beat us here! I have a good feeling about this!” 

The two came to a stop outside of the gas station, and found the door inside slightly open. Unfortunately, that most likely meant it had been ransacked. However, something felt off about the way the door was barely opened. It didn’t make sense for someone to be inside, but, Ness had dealt with these kinds of traps before. He motioned for Lucas to stand behind him as he took the tip of his bat and gently opened the door slowly. 

Without warning, a catapult of sorts swung down from the ceiling with a knife embedded into it. It swung with such force that could’ve been catastrophic had it landed a blow on either of them. It came to a halt after swaying for a moment. 

“What the hell was that??” Lucas asked, having jumped from the trap laid out before them. “We almost walked into that!”

“People are sick.” Ness groaned. He used the tip of his bat to examine the trap. If Ness or Lucas had opened the door without throwing caution to the wind, they would’ve been skewered right through the face. The trap was meant to spring like a catapult and end them right then and there. “That trap was meant to kill us. No one wants us getting in here, which means there’s plenty of stuff still available for the taking!” 

Once he was sure the trap had been disabled, Ness to the initiative to go first. The front door was secure, and by the looks of things, that seemed to be the only trap that they had to worry about. Pretty standard, but also pretty dumb if people thought that was enough to keep people out. 

“You’re pretty knowledgeable about all of this …” Lucas asked, taking a glance around to look for any tripwire or something that looked out of place. “Where did you learn all of this?” 

“When you’re alone for three years, you need to learn to protect and take care of yourself. Things get dangerous when the world goes to shit. You either face it head on, or you don’t. One way gets you killed and the other makes you stronger.” 

Just as Ness had suspected, the shelves were completely ransacked, only showing signs of abandoned wrappers or things people didn’t necessarily care about. He watched as Lucas found something of interest on one of the shelves. It looked like medicine of some sort, which could definitely be helpful if they ran out of power to heal. Healup and Lifeup definitely did cost a lot of their power, so medicine did the trick. 

“You said you consider yourself a healer, right?” 

“Sort of. Back in my community, I worked with this woman named Tessie a lot. I helped her when people were wounded, so I know a lot about healing.” he took the boxed medicine from the shelf and stashed it away in his bag, “This is just cold medicine, but, you never know when it’ll come in handy.” 

Ness nodded and continued to look around, perhaps for any food that someone had dropped while raiding. Unfortunately, the entire place looked like it had been stripped clean long before they had shown up. Ness was about give up when suddenly he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Tucked away in the back of the store was a vending machine that was still entirely intact! 

The boy’s eyes widened as he ran towards it. A big smile grew on his face as he saw saw many snack foods tucked behind the study glass. The food on the insane was completely untouched! Candy bars, chip bags, cookies, and all sorts of goodies were there for the taking! Why nobody had tried breaking it was beyond him, but he didn’t question it. 

“Lucas! Come look what I found!” Ness cried out. Lucas peered from behind one of the shelves and saw Ness next to the strange machine. He rose a brow as he approached him. 

“What is that thing …? There’s food on the inside …?” 

Ness glanced back at him in disbelief, “You’ve never seen a vending machine before?” 

“I told you, I came from a small town … we didn’t have anything like this back home.” 

Ness took hold of his bat and in one quick thrust, smashed the bat against the glass. It was sturdier than he had thought. Even with the barbed wire wrapped around the tip, all it managed to do was slightly scratch the glass. He looked over at Lucas who had grabbed hold of his stick and pointed the sharp tip directly at the glass. With a quick motion, he stabbed at the glass, hoping to make some sort of headway. To their surprise and excitement, the sharp stick left a small hole in the glass. Ness took over and again swung with all his might at the glass, causing it to shatter. 

Ness sighed happily and reached for one of the candy bars, practically tearing the wrapper off before taking a huge bite out of it. It was definitely old and stale, but the definite taste of chocolate made his face melt in pure bliss. 

“Wow …” he said dreamily, “It’s been so long since I’ve had chocolate …” 

Seeing how happy that made Ness, Lucas decided to try the same bar and grabbed his own. He took a bit out of it and his eyes widened in surprise. It was delicious! Instead of savoring it like Ness did, he downed it in just a few chomps. 

Once Ness finished, he opened up his pretty bare bag and started stuffing some of the food into it. Things like cookies, candy bars, and even some better tasting granola bars made their way into his pack. They hit the mother load! Might as well stock up on things while they had the chance! Lucas followed Ness’s lead and stashed away whatever he thought sounded tasty into his own backpack. He had stashed several medicine boxes, bandaids, and several other things into his bag prior, so he wasn’t able to fit as much as Ness. Nonetheless, they had a steady source of food for a while now! 

Again, Ness pulled out the map he had been using for ages which prompted Lucas to take out his flashlight for him. He wrote down the location of the gas station, and how there was a large stash of food still here. 

“We should find a safe place for the rest of this food, hide it, and if we’re ever nearby, come back and nab it!” Ness explained, rolling up his map. 

“That sounds like a good idea to me!” 

After stashing the remaining food in a place that seemed safe enough, the two searched the rest of the gas station for whatever could be salvageable for them. Ness was able to find a pair of fingerless gloves that fit perfectly, and Lucas was able to find a cool pocket knife. People must’ve really been in a hurry to miss these things. After finding what they could, they took their leave. Because of their finds, they were both put into a really great mood for the rest of the night. 

They crossed the abandoned town with no interest in staying put in any of the buildings. They came to a stop on its outskirts in the forests and set up camp for the night. Today was perfect! They figured it could only get better from there on out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the trap that Ness and Lucas encounter at the gas station is suppose to be something akin to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhwG9UdwSS4
> 
> Also, sorry I haven't been very consistent with updating! My motivation has been all over the place, and things have been happening irl that have kept me from writing. Hopefully we can get back on track sooner rather than later! 
> 
> Hope you guys have been enjoying it so far!


	5. Friends

Ninten watched the candlelight flicker as the flame grew dangerously close to the wax. Ever since he had been sent back to his room, he had been impatiently waiting for everyone to finally drift off to sleep so he could make his move. He had lived here for several years, and thanks to this, he knew exactly where Claus was being held. Ninten was sure that if he could find him and bust him out, he could get Claus safely back to his community. After what Fassad did to him so many years ago, how could he not? He looked to a wall mounted clock and read the time-- it was close to midnight. Those who weren’t patrolling the grounds would already be off to bed, including Fassad. As Ninten got up from his bed, readying himself to make his move, the candlelight finally flickered out in the molten wax. It was time. 

Carefully, he opened the door, cringing a bit as it creaked. Just as he expected, the hallways were dark and everyone seemed to be asleep. However, he wouldn’t risk it and kept to the shadows with no light. If he knew where he was going, there was no point in letting himself get caught. He had faith in his ability to get Claus out of this place. Perhaps then he and him could make it back to his old community. It had to beat this place. He closed his door as quietly as he could muster and moved on quickly down the hall. 

He moved quietly and quickly as all sorts of questions and worries buzzed around in his head like angry bees. How could Fassad have done something like that? He knew he was a jerk, but Ninten never expected something like that from him! It was just so shocking to think! Even more than that, what did Fassad want with Claus? It seemed like the two hated each other more than anything. Then a horrible thought came to his mind-- what if he was after his PSI power? Ninten had noticed when he was restraining Claus, but, it seemed like there was a sudden spark in Fassad’s eyes then, and it scared him. Ninten gulped quietly, glad that he had never showed Fassad his PSI abilities. Would he have wound up in a cell just like Claus? There wasn’t much sense in thinking about it now, however. What mattered now was getting Claus free and booking it far away from there! 

To Ninten, the long hallways seemed even more unsettling when everyone was asleep. It was as if a ghost or some kind of monster would pop out at any second. Given the circumstances, neither of those scenarios seemed to farfetched. Luckily, the flooring beneath him was paved in a way that there were no creaks. He could move swiftly and silently without worrying much about the others waking up. He passed by the showers, by the armory, and past several more barracks and rooms. Suddenly, he heard voices and began to panic. Ninten knew that Fassad’s people scouted the building when everyone was asleep, but, he expected this to be much easier. He crouched to the ground and laid as flat as he could on his stomach, hoping to blend in with the floor. The voices were nearing him now, and he tried his best to keep his breathing at ease. He couldn’t let them know he was there. 

“Yeah I didn’t see it coming either.” 

“I figured Fassad had done some fucked up shit in his past, but I wasn’t expecting something like that. According to that kid, he killed his mom with no hesitation! That’s pretty cold if you ask me.” 

“Well, we aren’t in the right position to question his reasoning. I don’t know about you, but, I like my warm bed and three meals a day. I’m not about to fuck with that. 

“You don’t have to tell me twice. I just wish there was something more exciting to do than scout the base. Meanwhile everyone else is off scavenging and recruiting!” 

“Patience. We’ll get our turn eventually. Besides, us two would be better suited out there anyway. Fassad’s wasting us in here when he could need us out there.” 

“I feel ya, man. Either way, lets meet up with the others so we can swap out. I’m starving.” 

That was all Ninten heard before their voices became too distant to comprehend anymore. Either they were too focused on their conversation, their eyes weren’t yet adjusted to the darkness of the hallway, or Ninten was just really good at blending in. As intimidating as some of Fassad’s men were, they sure didn’t know how to do their jobs. He took a deep sigh after they had moved on, and once he collected himself, he continued on to where he knew Claus was being held. 

Before long, he found a door ahead of him labelled as a stairwell. Knowing fully that there was no alarm system for this door and that Fassad turned the generators off at night, he pressed forward, carefully opening the door, making as little sound as he could. He traversed the stairwell to the basement and found exactly where he needed to be. Ninten peered out, happy to see no signs of guards anywhere. He picked up the pace, feeling his breathing heaving a bit, wishing he didn’t have to put up with asthma as bad as his. Now that he was in the cellar, it was only a matter of time before he found Claus. 

He didn’t have to do much wandering around until he heard voices yet again. With a groan of annoyance, Ninten ducked behind a wall and listened intently to the voices. It seemed like they were yelling at someone but, it was impossible to make anything out. Finally, he heard one of the doors open and he could hear the yelling clearly. 

“What a joke! Fassad is fucking stupid if he thinks this little shit going to work for him! 

“He’s gonna die before Fassad even gets to prove his worth!” Ninten watched as the guard that spoke glared back into the dimly lit room. “Now that food better be gone when we come back, or so help me! I’ll kill you myself!” And with that, they slammed the door, with an ear shattering metallic bang. Ninten waited for them to disappear into the stairwell and well after their voices disappeared to continue on. 

He knew Claus was in that room and once the coast was clear, made a made dash for the room, opening the rather loud door and closing it behind him. He cringed at the loud noises it made, hoping no one was still in the cellar to hear. Now in the dimly lit room, he could see the person he had been trying to find. Claus sat behind steel bars, back against the door and Ninten as well. He repeatedly chucked a rock against the wall and when it rolled back, he’d repeat the process. At the bars sat a plate with food growing cold. He was saddened to see that Claus wasn’t eating, but, he really didn’t blame him. 

“Claus …” he said quietly, approaching the cell, “It’s me-- Ninten!” 

Claus said nothing to him, but had stopped throwing the rock. He only sat there in the darkness of his cell, not saying a word. Ninten felt a little off put by his silent hostility. Nonetheless, Ninten smiled and reached for the padlock, attempting to figure out a way to free him. 

“Don’t worry-- I’ll have you out of here in no time! … Somehow.” 

“Leave me alone.” Claus said lowly, clenching the rock in hand. 

“Huh?” Ninten froze and gulped, “But, Claus … don’t you wanna get out an see your family again?” 

“It’s another trick … I know it. Fassad tricked me into thinking I could trust you and everyone else here. Well, I’m not falling for it. Besides,” he threw the rock hard against the wall again, “even if I did get out, Fassad would find me. He’d find me and kill the rest of the people I love. You’d go with him too, I bet.” 

“I-I don’t want to! Not anymore!” Ninten confessed, “There was always something that put me off about him, and now I know why. What he did to you and your family is unforgivable. You helped me realize it! Come on, I’m gonna get you out!” 

“Leave. Me. Alone.” Claus repeated again, his voice growing angrier. 

“Claus, don’t act like this, please! We don’t have time for--” 

“I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!!” Claus took the rock he held and threw it at the bars separating him from Ninten, watching as it collided with the boy’s hands. Ninten let out a yelp and retracted his hands, cursing under his breath at the newfound pain. The two stared at each other, one with a burning rage boiling over and the other with an overwhelming sense of sadness welling up in him. Claus narrowed his eyes at Ninten, “You’re one of them. So just go, Ninten. Let me be and let me think about how I’ll never see my family again.” 

Ninten was heartbroken by Claus’s words. Perhaps it was out of desperation to have a friend-- a real friend, someone who actually cared and mattered to him. Someone who wasn’t lying. Or perhaps it was out of sympathy. Maybe it was both. Fassad shouldn’t be able to get away with this. He could tell Claus was hurting, but, there was no way he was going to listen. As far as the other was concerned, Ninten was a bad guy on the villain’s side. But, no matter how much Claus wanted him to leave, he couldn’t just up and go. He needed to convince him to leave. 

Ninten brought his now red hands to the beams and pressed his head against them, “Claus … I don’t wanna be one of them anymore. I’m sick of it. I’m treated terrible here. Yes, I have a warm bed and hot meals but … what’s the point if I’m treated like shit …” 

Claus sighed heavily and turned back towards the wall, ignoring him. Obviously he wasn’t leaving. He only tucked away, pretending not to hear him. He didn’t want to hear any more of his lies. 

“I’m so, so sorry for what happened to you Claus …” Ninten said quietly. He could feel a lump growing in his throat. “If I had any idea Fassad had done something like this, I would’ve left a long time ago …” 

The more he thought about what to say, the sadder he grew. The only person he actually liked here, and he was sure he hated him. His voice grew weak and he let out a sob, much to his dismay. “Look, we can … we can leave and warn your family. We can both leave and be safe! Just … don’t hate me … please …” 

Claus said nothing in return, seeming as if he were an unmovable statue. Ninten’s words were beginning to get through to him, but, he couldn’t let him see that. 

“You’re the only one who was ever nice to me here … everyone else has always been out to get me,” he shook his head, “Please, Claus, pl-- ngh!!” 

Claus lifted his head when he heard the sound of something hitting the ground. When he turned he saw Ninten was now laying flat on the ground with Porky standing behind him. The chubby kid held a blunt weapon in his hand. It almost looked like a bat of some sort. Claus was finally roused from his sitting position and ran to the cell bars. 

“Ninten!” he yelled as his eyes glanced at him worriedly. They soon grew angry and glared at Porky, “Don’t hurt him! He didn’t do anything!” In that instant, he wasn’t sure if he was talking to Porky or himself anymore. Ninten really was just trying to help him. Why couldn’t he have just listened to him? 

“He was trying to help you. Don’t worry-- I only knocked him out.” He withdrew his weapon and knelt down to pick up Ninten as best he could. Luckily, he was quite light. Claus retaliated and grabbed hold of Ninten’s jacket, attempting to pulling him back. However, he was still sore from the jabs he received earlier. His senses were still trying to return. In the end, Porky was easily able to overcome him and take Ninten away. 

“I won’t let Fassad know what happened, but, if I were you, I’d be sure that you two don’t try doing this again. He won’t be as merciful.” he blonde haired boy smirked and let out a chuckle as he carried Ninten’s limp body away. He slammed the door behind him, leaving Claus enraged. 

He bashed his hand hard aginst the bars, “Come back, Porky! Don’t hurt him!!” 

Perhaps if he had just listened to Ninten, they could’ve gotten away with no problems. He could’ve seen Lucas and his father and everyone in the community again. He sat back down and held himself tightly, wondering just what was in store for him. Ninten really did want to get out, and now, there was no hope in escaping now. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of what would happen to him. And in that moment? 

He really did just want to see Lucas and Flint again …

* * *

Ninten awoke with a throbbing pain in his head. A headache must’ve flared up that was being relentless. He struggled to sit up, flinching at the terrible pain in the back of his head. He struggled to remember what had happened, and finally, it clicked in his brain. His eyes widened and he snapped awake, despite the pain. Claus wasn’t in the room-- he hadn’t come back. 

Fear began to take hold when he realized he had been knocked out. Claus was more than likely still being held in that cell. But, how long had Ninten been out? Should he go back to see if Claus is alright? Should they attempt another escape? He tried to move, but the pain shot down through his neck and into his back, immobilizing him for a second. It’d be dangerous and dumb to try and find him in this condition. He was incredibly worried about the situation, but … what more could he do? 

As if his questions were answered, he heard the door open slightly. Fearful as to who it would be, he turned slowly and out of the darkness, Porky emerged with a serious expression about him. Ninten gulped as he closed the door behind him. 

“What you did last night was dumb. Really dumb.” 

Ninten narrowed his eyes at the boy, “I needed to do something. You heard what Fassad did to him and his family! How can you let something like that slide?!” 

“And you thought breaking him out was the smartest solution? This entire place is rigged with explosives, Ninten. You wouldn’t have gotten far at all!” Porky explain. He sat at the edge of the other bed and through his bangs, he glared at Ninten. Under his gaze, Ninten felt small and unsafe.

“Fassad and the others brainwashed him.” 

Ninten’s eyes widened as a look of disbelief crossed his face. “What …?” 

“In order for Claus to become the person Fassad wants, he needed to wipe his memory. The memory of his mother, friends, family.” Porky simply shrugged and smiled, “To be honest, I personally like him much better the way he is now~” 

Ninten groaned in disgust, “You’re all sick … once his memory comes back …” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Fassad’s thought about everything. He had a feeling you’d try to jog his memory, but it won’t be that easy.” 

“What does he even want with him anyways …?” Ninten asked, being sincere for a moment. “Why him? Why not you, or me, or Picky? What’s so special about Claus?” 

“He has PSI abilities. Apparently, that’s something Fassad really needed for this place to succeed. He hadn’t been able to find any PSI wielders, so now is our chance!” 

Ninten felt sick to his stomach. Had Fassad found out that he had powers, would he have wound up like Claus? He was speechless, and even more so distraught. He couldn’t believe this. Claus didn’t deserve any of it. 

“Oh, speaking of which, you probably want to ‘re-meet’ him, huh?” Porky stood up and walked towards the door. When he opened it, he gave a little nod with his head. In walked Claus, and Ninten’s eyes widened. He looked the same and yet … he also looked so different. 

Claus’s face looked the same, but, his clothes had definitely changed. Steel toed boots, orange cargo pants, and a black leather jacket made him look the part in Fassad’s ever growing community. To be honest, Ninten was a little off put by how intimidating he looked now. However, Claus’s face seemed … happy? He couldn’t believe it. 

“Thanks for showing me the way, Porky. Had I remembered, I’m sure I would’ve been able to find my way myself.” 

“Not a problem. I’m sure it’ll come to you in no time. Either way, you should probably take it easy.” he turned to Ninten and glared at the boy, “Ninten will be sure to keep you company.” 

And with that, Porky took his leave, letting the two be with each other for a moment. Ninten blinked in confusion and slid off of his bed, slowly moving towards Claus. 

“Claus? Is that really you? Do you … remember me?” he asked quietly. 

Claus nodded and a big smile crossed his face, “Of course! How could I forget? You’re Ninten! We’re best friends! That’s the one thing I didn’t forget!” 

“Best … friends …?” Ninten asked, his eyes growing wide. Had the circumstances been different, Ninten would’ve been glad to hear those words, but now? He felt more saddened than anything. How much of his memory had Fassad flushed out? 

“Yeah! When Porky asked, I immediately remembered. We share this room! We have since this whole thing started!” he took a seat on his bed, chuckling a bit, “Perhaps you’re the one who has amnesia. It seems like you bonked your head pretty good.” 

“Claus … you really don’t remember?” 

Claus shook his head, “I don’t remember much, no. But, I’m sure it’ll come to me in time. All I can remember though is that Fassad took us both in and we’ve lived here for three years.” he gave him a smile, “And the fact that we’re friends. There’s no way I could forget that!” 

Ninten sighed and nodded, “Yeah … I guess we are best friends, aren’t we …?” There was no sense and arguing or trying to jog his memory right then. If Fassad or anybody else found out what Ninten was trying to do, they both could wind up in serious trouble. For now, might as well play along, as much as it sucked. 

Perhaps in due time, Claus’s memory would come back to him. Ninten just had to bide time. But, the fact that Fassad had brainwashed Claus and was attempting to use him for his PSI powers was extremely unsettling to him. Was there anything they could do? 

Well, at least Ninten had a friend now. Even if he was brainwashed into believing that …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter! I know I said I'd flip flop between the Lucas/Ness and Claus/Ninten chapters, but, I have a feeling I might need to diverge from that just a bit. No need to worry, each story will get it's share of plot and development! But, for now, I think Ness and Lucas need just a bit more development. Also, I apologize this chapter was a little short! Hopefully it'll be enough to hold you guys over for the next one! The next one will more than likely be a longer chapter! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy!


	6. Danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so before you start reading this chapter, I do want to put a trigger warning here at the beginning.  
> This chapter has some crude scenes and an attempted rape scene in the last part. I understand a lot of people may be uncomfortable reading this.  
> If you would like a synopsis of this chapter, please see the end notes for a summarized version of it! 
> 
> Due to this, and due to several other scenes that will be making an appearance later on, I've decided to bump up the age rating to mature! If you are younger than 17+, please read on with an open mind. Thank you! 
> 
> Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy! Sorry for such a dark chapter, again!

They had only had their newfound food for several hours, and yet it was all Ness could think to talk about. The pure stroke of luck that the two had gotten was unbelievable! They were able to recover their power, have an actual bath after years of disgusting hygiene, and to top it all off, they even found a stash of food! To Lucas, seeing the once withdrawn boy he had known for a week act so happy and joyful put a smile on his face. Travelling alone had really made Ness a different person, and it’s shocking what a good thing could do for him. Perhaps things really were starting to look up for them.

“I still can’t get over our luck, Lucas!” Ness exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air, “This just never happens! I can’t believe it!”

“I know, it’s all you’ve been talking about for hours,” Lucas replied with a chuckle, “But, we need to be careful we don’t eat it all quickly.”

“Even if we do, there’s still that stash back at the store. So long as we don’t move ahead too far, we can just go back and grab the other stash.”

Lucas nodded, remembering where they had hidden the extra food. If worse came to worse, they could always backtrack. After all, there was a chance Claus could be nearby for all they knew.

It wasn’t until after they had been walking for several hours that Ness began to realize just how loud they were actually being. Due to the stream of good luck coming their way, he seemed to forget about the dangers of the world in an instant. Once he realized, the two went quiet and continued on their way. Ness had been ecstatic that entire time, but, now, he had a sinking feeling. Someone could’ve heard them and they never would’ve known.

“We should probably get off the road.” Ness explained, nodding his head towards the treeline. “I really don’t want to run into other people on accident.”

“Especially with all that we have right now.”

Lucas followed suit into the brush where the two felt more concealed. At least now it’d be harder to spot them among the dark trees. Sure, it was more difficult for them to spot landmarks now, but, it made them safer. Before he met Lucas, this was how Ness preferred to travel. Quickly and quietly among the bushes and foliage.

The two headed deeper into the woods, to give themselves some needed distance between them and the road. Once Ness was finally satisfied with the area they had covered, they headed due south once again. Lucas never particularly liked when their conversations fell flat and quiet, but, given the circumstances of the world, he didn’t blame Ness for being cautious. Perhaps there was a way to pick things up; he just had to be quieter. In a whisper, he spoke up to Ness as he walked beside him.

“So, where are we headed?”

Ness turned to him and rose a finger to his own lips, indicating him to lower his voice some more. “Fourside. It’s a big city that fell hard after the world went dark. I’d think of no better place to search for Claus than there.”

“Won’t it be dangerous there though? What if there’s scavengers like us there?”

“I expect as much. We’ll just have to be cautious and move quickly and quietly when we get there.”

“And, do you really think Claus will be there …?”

“Could be. Who knows? He’s been gone for a year, right? Anything can happen in a year, but, Fourside would be my best bet.”

Lucas sighed and looked at the ground as they trampled over dead grass. Ness had made it clear before to move carefully over dead leaves, but, the ground seemed littered with them. All these warnings Ness had given him over the past week just made him cringe in fear every time they made a loud noise. They hadn’t run into anybody yet, thankfully, but, a sinking feeling always lurked in the pit of Lucas’s stomach. He was always on edge, thanks to Ness’s warnings.

They two kept walking for some time, and Lucas couldn’t help but notice Ness growing worried. He couldn’t see his face very clearly in the darkness, but, his posture and figure kept shifting-- almost as if he was looking around for something. Ness grabbed the straps of his backpack, and lurched it up higher onto his back. Was it trying to make it more secure?

Suddenly, Ness stopped in his tracks, causing Lucas to immediately come to a halt. He swallowed hard, glancing around at the trees, following Ness’s glares. Had he heard something? Aside from their footsteps, Lucas didn’t hear anything else. He stared at his friend’s silhouette, watching as he became as stiff as a statue. Something was wrong.

“Maybe … it was just an animal?” Lucas asked, cocking his head, “What do you think it-”  
“Shhh!” Ness commanded, bringing his finger back to his lips. “Shut up!”

Lucas flinched a bit at the aggressive demand, but did so as instructed. Ness knew more about surviving in this world than Lucas did. It only made sense to listen to him. The two remained quiet, and the blonde was sure he could hear their heartbeat thudding together. Ness had done this before to try and listen, but, the way he was handling it scared him beyond belief. Ness took a few steps towards Lucas and whispered in his ear.

“We’re not alone out here.” Shivers ran down Lucas’s spine as he said that.

Ness urged Lucas along, picking up his pace and moving into a full on sprint. Lucas charged after his friend, eager to keep up. Whatever was hunting them in those woods, he could hear now. It didn’t sound like animals or those weird dark entities they had fought before. The footsteps that chased them sounded human, and so did the grunts and pants that followed.

“Hurry!” Ness shouted, parting away bushes as they ran. Lucas felt himself trip over some roots, but managed to keep his footing and catch up to Ness. The two ran side by side, past bushes and stumps, nearly stumbling in the darkness. And when they couldn’t hear the footsteps, they decided to finally take a breather.

“What-- what was that??” Lucas asked, gasping for air. Ness only replied with panting for a moment as he tried to catch his own breath. He never was the most in shape person, after all.

“I-I think they had followed us from the gas station …” Ness managed to choke out, “I saw them moving in the shadows-- it was two guys …”

“We should keep moving then-- and get them off our trail once and for all!”

Ness nodded, “I was thinking the same th--”

Both boys were caught off guard when someone grabbed Ness from behind, putting him into a choke hold! The man raised a knife to the boy’s neck as he stared back in horror. Lucas starred in awe, and was about to rush in to help him when felt someone grab him as well. Pain shot up through his shoulder as his arms were twisted behind his back.

The man that had Lucas, brought him to his knees and held him there as the man who had Ness, kept the knife to his neck. This had all gone so south so quick. Could it have been prevented? Were they the ones who set the trap? All these thoughts ran through both of their heads, but, in that instant, Lucas could only think of one thing. He felt like crying as the memories came flooding back. He began shaking and remembered the scene so vividly.

_“Give me all of your supplies! I’m not fucking around!!”_  
_“Please, sir … all we got are the clothes on our backs …”_  
 _“Mom!!”_  
 _“Flint … boys …”_

“Not again …” Lucas whimpered, “Please …”

“Lucas! What’re you doing?! Fight--” Ness gasped when he felt the blade at his flesh and glared at the man who had him held hostage.

“Fight back?” he asked in an eerie voice, “Now, now, none of that. We were gonna be so kind as to let you go too-- but, we do need something from you.”

Neither of them were falling for the soft talk, especially Ness. He knew what people were capable of, and he was terrified. Lucas’s breathing wavered when he saw the knife at his friend’s neck. The same thing couldn’t happen again-- it just couldn’t.

“Now, see, you boys remember that gas station from a while back?” he tightened his grip on Ness, making him flinch, “Yeah, that was all of our shit in there. Now, I’d kindly like it back.”

“So you did make the trap--” Lucas groaned when he felt the man twist his arms from behind him.

“And it should’ve killed you.” the man behind Lucas said angrily, “Give us our things or we’ll finish you off. Now.”

Lucas looked over at Ness with worried eyes. If they were telling the truth, then they really could be safe. Ness shook his head, only for his movement to be ceased by the man. Lucas sighed shakily and nodded.

“Alright … alright, you can have it all back … just leave us alone …”

“Lucas, no!” Ness pleaded, trying to break free. Finally, the man had enough of Ness’s shenanigans and pushed him to the ground, knife still at his skin.

“Listen to your friend, boy. He has common sense.” the man smirked and reached for Ness’s bag, but instead of taking just the food from it, he ended up taking the entire backpack with him. Ness watched in horror as the scene unfolded before them. “And, just so you know never to fuck with us again, we’ll be taking everything you have.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal!” Lucas cried, “You just said the food!”

Lucas felt the man grab his pack as well, and stood up, keeping Lucas at the ground. Both boys glanced up in shock as the men smirked evilly in the darkness.

“Well, this is the new world order. If you don’t wanna die, you gotta pay the toll.”

Ness growled under his breath as he tried getting up, “I’ll kill you both …” He was stopped when he felt a foot press against his back, keeping him to the ground. His worst fear came true when he realized the bat had been removed from his person.

“Killing? With what? The weapon you don’t have? That’s cute. Might as well take this as well so you don’t get any ballsy ideas.”

Lucas watched helplessly as his stick was taken from him as well. Could this have been avoided if they had just steered clear of the gas station?

“Now, me and my friend are gonna leave real slow like.” the first man removed his foot from Ness’s back, and the man restraining Lucas backed off as well. “If either of you make a move, we’ll kill you on sight. Understand?”

Ness felt rage burn up within him as he dug his fingers into the dirt. He knew he should’ve carried on alone. At least then none of this would’ve happened. As much as he wanted to fight back, what was the point? Their weapons were gone. In his blind flurry of anger, he realized something-- he still had his PSI-- and after refreshing themselves earlier, he could spare an attack or so. He’d let them get far away and expel an attack on them.

The men sheathed the weapons they had stolen from the boys and instead withdrew handguns, pointing at the boy as they backed off into the darkness. Once Ness couldn’t see them anymore, he rose his fingers towards the area in which they disappeared. Lucas was quick to scurry over and bring his hand down.

“No!” he whispered, “It’s not worth it!”

Ness exhaled angrily and clenched his hand into a fist, yanking it away from Lucas. Once the footsteps from the men disappeared into the forest, Ness stood up, feeling his back wrack with pain. Lucas stood up beside him, looking into his rage induced eyes. Never before had he seen him look this intense-- and it scared him.

“H-hey, we can … always find more food.” he tried placing his hand on Ness’s shoulder, only for the other boy to shove away.

“What does it matter. All of our supplies are gone. We’ll be lucky if we survive a week.” he turned towards him with a disappointed look above all else, “Why didn’t you let me attack them?! They have our stuff now!”

“I-I don’t know--” Lucas stuttered, “You don’t want people to know we have PSI so …”

“Oh, so it’s my fault, cool,” Ness tucked his hands into his pockets and stormed off, leaves crunching beneath his feet.

“I didn’t mean it like that-- I just--”

“Come on, let’s get out of here. We need to find someplace safe to set up camp. Not that it’ll be much of a camp now …”

Lucas sighed heavily and followed after him. While it was horrible that they were jumped and had their supplies taken, Lucas was incredibly happy that they had been spared. Because of what happened to his family before, he was sure there would’ve been a repeat. He wasn’t happy, but, he definitely was glad things didn’t turn out worse.

After an hour or so of searching, they found a place they deemed far enough away from the men and set up a small campfire. If they were attacked by animals, they’d have to resort to their PSI, and that was something Ness really didn’t want to have to do. But, until they could find more weapons, it’d have to do. Lucas was almost wishing he had eaten more than he did, because now, his stomach kept growling and he could tell Ness was annoyed with it.

Despite the sinking feeling that they were still being watched, the two managed to somehow find sleep …

* * *

Ninten walked down the dark hallways of the compound as he followed Porky. Claus and Picky had been left in their rooms and Ninten had been told that Fassad wished to see him. He could only imagine what it it’d be about. Perhaps Porky had snitched him out and now he was really in it. He found himself fiddling his his hands in a panic, hoping he wouldn’t end up like Claus. After all, brainwashing just sounded … horrible. Claus was always so on edge and cautious, but now that his mind had been completely drained, he didn’t seem like himself anymore. Sure, Ninten didn’t mind his new happy demeanor, but, it just seemed too happy for his liking.

“I don’t think it’s about what happened last night, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Ninten glanced up at Porky and gulped. If it wasn’t about that then what could it be about? He was also really confused as to why Porky was helping him-- or at the very least not ratting him out. It just didn’t seem in character for him and it worried Ninten beyond belief.

“So what do you think it is, then …?”

“I can’t say for sure, but, I really don’t think you need to worry about being in trouble. I haven’t said anything,” Porky smirked, even though the other boy couldn’t see, “yet …”

As they neared Fassad’s chambers, Ninten’s heartbeat quickened in pace as he was sure nothing good could come from this encounter. Porky stopped in front of the door with his arms folded behind his back. He nudged his head in the direction of the door, letting Ninten know he could go in.

“Don’t keep him waiting.”

Ninten nodded and with a deep breath, he walked inside, closing the metal door behind him. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw the faintest of smirks cross Porky’s face as he entered. Porky definitely knew something, and Ninten’s stomach knotted up at all of the ideas buzzing around in his head.

A dim light enveloped the room from several candles. There was a long table with numerous chairs surrounding it, and at the head of the table was a desk. Behind the desk lead further into Fassad’s chambers. This was a meeting room, but, Ninten rarely came in here. It was mostly Fassad and the higher ups who attended the meetings. Fassad was sitting at the desk and narrowed his eyes at Ninten. The raven haired boy felt tiny once again beneath his glare. For once he just wished he could approach him without getting nervous.

“Ninten, come here.” he motioned for the boy to come, and Ninten did as instructed, “Stop shaking, boy! I have something to ask of you.”

“Wh-what is it …?” Ninten raised a brow at his comment, “If it’s scavenging, I can go with the next group-- or is it maybe--”

Fassad brought a hand to his forehead and rubbed the afflicted area, “Will you shut up and listen? I haven’t got all day. Scavenging isn’t what I had in mind. Your mission is something much more important. Also, there is no backing out. My word is final, and if you don’t do this, there will be dire consequences.”

Ninten’s posture stiffened and he nodded rapidly.

“No doubt that moron Porky has told you about the newcomer. Claus has been brainwashed.” he folded his hands on the desk and glanced up at Ninten, “As much as it pained me to take away that fiery passion he had, it had to be done. He is a necessity and we needed him to know his place. He is one of us now.”

Ninten nodded, not in agreement, but to let Fassad knew he understood the circumstances.

“You saw how he lashed out on us when he first arrived here, yes? The boy has incredible psychic powers, Ninten. We can use this to our advantage!” Fassad smirked at his statement, “If the boy was that powerful enraged, then there must be other ways to provoke that power. I’m wondering if the strength changes with varying emotions …”

“So … what exactly do you need me to do then, sir …?” Ninten shuffled on his feet, very uncomfortable with how he was talking about his new friend. Was he just using Claus as a weapon? It sounded sickening. In that moment, he was thankful he never used his PSI around Fassad or the others. In fact, he hadn’t used it in so long … he wasn’t even sure if he could conjure anything up even if he tried.

“You’re the closest to the boy-- so what I propose you do is try to trigger his PSI abilities through his emotions. We’ve already seen what anger has done. Happiness, sadness, confusion, love … all of these things may have an effect on his powers. What I’m suggesting-- no -- what I’m demanding you do is go on scavenging missions with the others and take Claus with you. Use him and play with his emotions-- see if you can trigger anything.”

Ninten felt sick to his stomach hearing all of that. Was that why he brainwashed him? Was that why he tricked him into believing he and Claus were actually friends? As much as it hurt him, and as much as he didn’t want to do anything involving this plan … he was in no situation to argue back.

“Yes sir … I’ll see what I can do …”

Fassad smirked and furrowed his brow, “Good. Come to me with any information you discover. The next party leaves in several hours. Get your rest and head out with them. Don’t disappoint me, Ninten.”

He nodded and took his leave, closing the metal door behind him. Porky was still waiting outside to escort him back to his room. The two exchanged glances and Porky shook his head.

“I heard everything. I’m sorry you have to do this.”  
“No you’re not …”  
“You’re right, I’m not. Come on. We’re going back.”

It wasn’t long before Ninten reached his room again and he quickly entered, leaving Porky outside. He just wanted to sleep and forget what was said, but the fact that they only had a few hours before the next scavenging party only made him feel worse. He looked over at Claus who seemed to be sleeping.

With a sigh he walked over to his own bed and flopped onto it, the springs squeaking as he did. He buried his face into the pillowless bed and groaned. The fact that he had to obey Fassad and do this tore him up inside. If Claus ever found out …

“Oh, Ninten,”

Ninten looked over and saw Claus had tuned towards him and smiled sleepily. “I saw that you left, but I figured you’d be back. Where’d ya have to go?”

“Uh, nowhere … just had to run to the uh, bathroom … Sorry I worried you.”

“I wasn’t worried. Just curious is all.”

“Fassad also said we have to go on a scavenging mission today. We have a few hours before we have to shove off.”

Claus nodded and sighed, flopping onto his back. “Alright, that’s fine … at least we can get more sleep until then.” he closed his eyes and rested his hand on his chest, “Sleep well, Ninten …”

“Yeah, you too …”

This was gonna suck.

* * *

A twig snapped in the forest and Lucas was immediately awake. He jolted up and saw Ness do the same. That snap definitely wasn’t accidental-- they were sure someone wanted them to hear that. It was loud and undeniably something large. But, it definitely didn’t sound like an animal or a creature. They didn’t hear any footsteps, and the only thing that crackled now was the small fire before them.

Lucas looked over at Ness, who despite being angry at him, shared a mutual look of fear. They could run, but, like earlier, running didn’t really do anything. They could use their PSI, but, Ness wanted to conserve it. They could meet their enemy head on, but, that too seemed like a death sentence.

“What do we do …?” Lucas whispered to Ness. He watched as the boy stood up and he followed suit. “Do we run?”

Ness shook his head, worried beyond belief, “I don’t know …”

“Well, if we sit here, we’re dead! Think of something!” Lucas began raising his voice at his companion. He never liked being aggressive, but Ness wasn’t doing anything.

Out of fear of what was coming, Lucas reached into the fire pit and pulled out a flaming log. Shakily he held it tightly and waited for any sign that something was coming.

“What’re you doing??” Ness replied.

“We have to fight whatever it is somehow …”

Ness nodded and went to reach into the pit as well. However, he didn’t get very far when he felt a quick thrust at his back, knocking him over. Again, the duo had been tricked and swindled!

“Ness!” Lucas tried to rush to his friend’s aid, but just like before, he was taken to the ground. The log rolled away, back towards the pit, and in the light of the flames, they could see the two men who had attacked them earlier. They had their backpacks and weapons on them, as if to spite them. They could see their faces clearly now, and they showed a look of malice. They intended to harm.

“You’re back?!” Lucas cried out, “But, we agreed to what you--”

Lucas felt pain shoot up through his back as the man pressed him to the ground. His breathing became erratic as he looked over at the other man and Ness. “Let us go! Why did you come back …?”

“See, we figured that you were too dangerous to be left alone, wandering the woods. You could easily ransack us in the darkness while we sleep.” the man’s grip tightened on Lucas’s wrists, “So, we thought we’d kill you instead. But, what fun would come out of just that?”

The men exchanged glances, and the one who had Ness in his grasp, pressed him to the ground. He was met with a faceful of dirt as he struggled to break free.

“Stop!” Lucas cried out, “Leave him alone!”

“Shut up!” the man was now on top of Lucas, “Watch what happens to him! That’ll be you next!”

Lucas began hyperventilating as he watched the scene unfold. Ness tried his hardest to fight off the man, but his strength was far too great. Ness glanced at Lucas, wide eyed, practically begging for help. What could he do in this situation?

“Luc-” again, Ness’s face was pressed into the ground. He could feel the man on top of him, and he was shaking like a leaf.

Lucas shuddered when he felt the barrel of a pistol aimed at the back of his head. He dared not turn around.

“Move and I’ll kill you. Then I’ll have my way with you.”

Lucas breathed lowly and narrowed his eyes. They were hurting Ness.

“Stop it …” he said lowly, “Stop it … please …”

Lucas wasn’t sure what the world was like outside of his community, and now that he had found out, he wished he had never left. What if Claus had met a similar fate? He felt like throwing up at the thought of that. What if he was already dead? Soon enough, he and Ness would be dead too.

He never took his eyes off of Ness, and in the gleam of the fire, he was sure he saw tears. Ness, the one who seemed so brave and confident before, had been reduced to this. It hurt so much to see him like that.

“Stop …” Ness groaned. As much as he kicked and squirmed, the man was too strong.

Lucas had never felt like this before, even when his mother was murdered right before him. I was as if he was seeing red, or stars, or both. He dug his fingers into the dirt, and narrowed his eyes at the man hurting Ness. All at once, anger settled in, and he couldn’t stand for this anymore.

“Stop …” again, he growled lowly, “ now …”

“Keep talking you little shit,” again, his face was pushed down. Lucas’s eyebrows furrowed and his rage finally boiled over.

“STOP!” In an instant, a blast of psychic energy left Lucas and the main restraining him was launched into the air. His loaded weapon went off, and just barely missed Lucas. The blast sent the man flying, and he fell in the distance, a loud crack following suit.

“What the fuck--?!” the man who was dealing with Ness finally backed off, just as he was about to commit to his deed. In a panic, he scurried away into the darkness. Before Ness could regain himself, he followed the path the man had taken with his eyes and rose his fingers shooting off a powerful blast in his direction. A splatting noise could be heard in the distance. Finally, they were both dead.

Ness’s breath was heavy as he fixed himself. He brought his sleeve to his eyes and wiped away the tears. However, after that was all said and done, he just sat there, unable to move. His entire body was still shaking, and the whole event that had unfolded just seemed so … surreal. He glanced over at Lucas, who still seemed in dismay at the whole event.

“Lucas …”

The blonde haired boy scurried over to his companion and practically threw himself into an embrace. Ness, who hadn’t had any physical contact in ages, returned the hug and held Lucas close. They had survived. Granted, the trauma was still fresh but … they did survive this ordeal.

Ness felt like he was going to cry again. He wanted to forget about everything that had happened and just curl into a ball. Lucas thankfully didn’t understand the concept of conserving their powers, and he was beyond thankful for that. It could’ve been so much worse if he hadn’t blasted that man.

In a shaky, defeated tone, Lucas spoke to Ness, “I … killed that man …”

“You had to …” he hugged Lucas tighter, “ you know what they would’ve done otherwise …”

Lucas separated from the hug and looked at Ness with a look of guilt. He swallowed a lump in his throat and glanced away.

“He didn’t … do anything, did he …?”

“No, thank god … but,” Ness began shaking again and choked out a sob, much to his dismay, “ … fuck, I was so scared …”

Again, they embraced, both feeling the urge to start crying again.

Lucas sighed shakily, “I really didn’t want to kill him, but, when I saw him hurting you … I just got so angry and … god … ”

“I’m glad you did … it was either us or them …”

“I killed a human … I actually killed a man …”

“It’s okay … we’re okay …”

After a moment, the two stood up and noticed that in the panic, the men dropped their bags and weapons. The duo rushed to gather their belongings, and with hope, opened them up. The food was gone, but somehow everything was still intact. Lucas’s medical supplies, the flashlight, and his stick were all back. Same with Ness and his belongings. They may not have their food, but, at least they have everything they needed.

“I … think we should avoid gas stations from now on …” Lucas said quietly, hoping to lighten the mood.

“If we do that, we’ll never find food …” Ness threw his backpack over his shoulders, “but, if we find any traps, we’re definitely not looting there.

“I didn’t realize people had changed this much … it’s so sad …”  
“Somehow, I have a feeling they were like that before all this happened …”

The two stomped out the fire and continued on their way. To conserve as much power as they could, Lucas took out the flashlight, to see if they could get their bearings. They had been heading south towards Fourside, so that was where they were going. They walked in the direction the man had flown off during the attack, and to their shock, they found him.

He was dead, that was for sure, but his body was misshapen and his face was writhed in agony. The man must’ve hit some trees on his way down and the pure look of pain and terror on his face was enough to make Lucas freeze in his tracks.

“Oh my god …” he said quietly, covering his mouth in fear, “I … did that to him …?”

“Hey, come on … don’t look at that,” Ness pushed Lucas forward and moved his head back onto the path, “Just keep looking forward …”

“Ness, I actually killed someone … an actual person …!”

As much as Ness wanted to argue back at him, he couldn’t. To Lucas, this was horrible. He had told Ness numerous times how he wanted to stick to his own vows and never kill a human. To him, this was probably devastating. Best just try to soothe him instead of riling him up.

“It’s going to be fine … let’s just get somewhere safe …”

The journey to find Claus was definitely proving to be harrowing, but, they pressed on together. He had to be somewhere …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Synopsis: Ness and Lucas come face to face with two men in the woods and find out that the gas station they had scavenged through was their 'base'. At first the two men attack and take back their supplies and food and go on their way. Ness is angry they didn't fight back. // Ninten meets with Fassad and is told he's to trigger Claus's PSI abilities through manipulating his emotions. He's disgusted with the idea, but is forced to agree anyway. The two set out on a scavenging mission in several hours where he must attempt what Fassad asked // The men attack Ness and Lucas again, this time with intent to harm and kill them. Before the man can get away with doing his horrendous deed to Ness, Lucas fires off a powerful PSI blast and the men are both killed. They embrace and although they're terrified and have faced a traumatic experience, they're still alive. Lucas is distraught over having killed a man. 
> 
> Thanks for reading everyone! And sorry for such a long wait!


	7. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of suicide/depictions of it, death scene (unrelated to first tw), blood and gore 
> 
> Read on with an open mind! Thank you!  
> This chapter is a long and heartbreaking one, so be prepared!  
> And I hope you enjoy!

“We’re going in there …?”  
“We’re running out of food and water. We don’t really have a choice.” 

Lucas looked up at the imposing, five story building towering over them. He shone his flashlight up at the building to reveal itself to them. Windows were smashed in, and metal beams dangled from the building itself. At the very top in bold, red letters, the word HOSPITAL was written with a red cross to follow it. After their run in with the two men after the gas station, Lucas didn’t want to chance going in anywhere now. 

What nearly happened to them was awful, and he knew it shook both of them to their core. For a week and a half, they steered clear of any buildings that could contain items. Instead, they had managed to get lucky by finding old water bottles and canned food in cars up until now, but, they were running out of supplies. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t survive on luck anymore. They had to see what this hospital offered them, even if they were terrified. 

Lucas shone the flashlight ahead of them now, following after Ness as they neared the building. Luckily for them, there was a safe way inside. There was a hole in the wall-- how it got there, though, was beyond either of them. However, both of them knew now that if a dangerous situation arose again, they were to abandon the idea of conserving their power and completely lash out with their strongest attacks against anybody that meant them harm. They were tired of it, and weren’t going to risk it again. 

Ness entered the building first, seeing debris from the broken building everywhere. Once he was in, he turned to help Lucas get in safely. As the duo clambered into the building, they began to wonder just how safe it really was inside. The hospital seemed so big-- anybody could be anywhere in the darkness. However, at the same time, it seemed like such a hassle to get inside. 

For a while, debris and rubble littered the hallways as they carefully maneuvered over and under it. Finally, it seemed like they had made it past the part where the building had caved in. Now, it seemed much easier to get around. Lucas flashed the light all over, trying to find a sign or something to guide them on their way. 

“Where should we go? Wherever we go, we should do it quietly thought …” 

Ness nodded, “Yeah, we can’t risk being too loud. Not until we know it’s safe.” he followed the light and shook his head, “We should head to the basement. I think that’s exactly where we’d find food.” 

“You don’t think people would’ve come here before us?  
“We won’t know unless we try. Come on, let’s find some stairs.” 

 

The two stumbled along in the darkness, finding signs indicating that they were indeed on the first floor of the hospital. They came across a lobby looking area with barricades set up at the big front doors. They passed by many areas, and yet, the hospital seemed pretty much abandoned. Seeing how empty it looked, Ness rose his voice above a whisper-- confident that they were alone in this place. Despite this however, Lucas remained quiet just in case. 

After a while of searching, they finally found a dark stairwell leading down a flight. They opened the giant metal door and cringed as it echoed out with a squeaking noise. Afterwards, they waited a moment-- waiting to hear any footsteps or loud noises. If someone was in the hospital, they just alerted them of their presence. They waited for several moments and heard nothing. The hospital was indeed safe. Ness took the flashlight from Lucas and started down the stairs as the other made sure the door was securely closed behind them. They were both beyond happy when the floorboards beneath them didn’t creak or give off any more noise. 

He noticed Ness pick up the pace as they got closer to the bottom, and in an effort to keep up, Lucas grabbed hold of his hoodie gently and used that as his guide down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, there was nothing but unrelenting darkness awaiting them. It was beyond impossible to see where they were going, even with the flashlight. All they could tell for sure was that they were in a long hallway now. 

Ness glanced at the wall in front of them and shone the light up at it which shed some light on a directory. There were several ways to go, but only one way held interest to them. To the right it read: DOCKING AREA, STORAGE, and MORGUE. To the left, EMPLOYEE HEALTH, PHARMACY, and to their surprise, CAFETERIA. A smile crossed Ness’s face when he realized all of the good stuff was together just waiting for them. However, he couldn’t help but remember the gas station incident which was still fresh in his mind. Even if they did find something here, they didn’t know if anybody else claimed it, or if they’d be followed. However, with Ness realizing they could use their PSI now that it had been replenished, it was as if all of his fears had vanished. 

Ness shone the light down the left of the hallway and was glad he didn’t see any rubble or debri in their way. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head and a smile came to his face. He turned to Lucas who in turned looked at him in confusion. 

“Hey, let’s have a race!” Ness said suddenly, pointing the light down the hall, “The cafeteria and pharmacy are down that way, so, let’s race to see who gets there first!” 

Lucas was taken aback by the sudden declaration and shook his head firmly, “What? No! We don’t know what’s down there! Someone could be waiting to jump us!” 

“And that’s why we use our powers. Now that they’re refreshed, we have nothing to worry about!” he nudged Lucas’s shoulder playfully and his smile widened, “Come on, let’s have some fun for once! If someone were here, we would’ve seen them by now.” 

Ness was right-- after all of the sounds they had been making, someone would definitely have come to find them by now. Maybe it really was an empty old building. And, perhaps this was Ness’s way of coping after such a traumatic experiences for him. Nonetheless, Lucas couldn’t shake off a feeling of dread. 

“Look, I’ll even make it interesting. If you win, then …” he closed his eyes and hummed for a moment, “ … then I’ll tell you something about myself. If I win, then you need to tell me something about yourself. How’s that sound?” 

Lucas shuffled on his feet nervously, not sure if they should be doing something like this, especially after the incidents that had happened. He finally believed that this was Ness’s way of coping and decided it’d be for the best to play along. Who knows? Maybe it’d actually end up being fun. 

“Okay … yeah, alright. Let’s do it.” he tucked his stick behind his backpack firmly so that it wouldn’t budge as they ran. Ness did the same with his bat, but firmly held the flashlight in hand. 

The two got into a starting position and kept their eyes on the hallway before them. The flashlight didn’t reach to the end of the hallway, so they couldn’t be sure how long it was. Hopefully they wouldn’t crash into anything, or … anyone. The duo exchanged a glance and Ness gave Lucas a look of determination. He wasn’t going to lose!’ 

“Ready, set,” 

The fact that Ness seemed to forget all their worries almost made Lucas feel better. He was able to move on so quick from situations, and he really admired that about him. But, for all he knew, he could still be hurting. What he must’ve gone through after being alone for three years must’ve put a strain on him. Getting to act like a kid for once … sounded pretty good. Suddenly, Ness echoed out in the hallway. 

“GO!” 

The two boys took off sprinting down the hallway, and at first it seemed like Ness had the upper hand. Soon however, they were both neck in neck, sprinting as fast as they could. Ness’s laughter must’ve been contagious, because he even got Lucas laughing which was a pleasant surprise for the both of them. 

“Better hurry up,” Ness called out, “Or I’m gonna beat you!” 

“You wish, city boy!” and with that insult, Lucas gained the final burst of speed he needed and took the lead. Between all of his laughing, panting, and hard footsteps, he wasn’t sure just how far ahead he really was. When he saw the flashlight growing dimmer behind him, he was sure he was far ahead! Looked like he was the one who would win the bet! 

Finally, the end of the hallway came into sight and with one final push, he made it to the end and won the race! Lucas let out a cheer for himself that echoed in the dark hallways. He didn’t think he’d actually win, so this was a surprise for him. 

“Haha, I win!” he cheered. He rested his hands against the wall as he chuckled happily, “Wow … it kinda felt nice getting to do something like that again … getting to be a kid for once …” 

He turned back to face the dark hallway behind him, expecting to see an agitated Ness approaching him. “Well, Ness, looks like I win the bet--” 

But, he wasn’t there. Instead, the flashlight lay on the ground, rolling slightly, and shining the light towards Lucas. His smile faded quickly and fear began to set in as he approached the flashlight quickly. 

“ … Ness …?” he called out in a quiet whisper. When he was close enough he picked up the flashlight and shone it around in the darkness. There were plenty of nooks and crannies and someone could’ve easily snagged him. “Ness?! Come on, this isn’t funny!” 

He had been right behind him! He couldn’t understand where he went. But, if his fears were true, and someone had managed to grab him, then, he was all alone now. Someone had made off with him and soon they’d come back for him. His fear made its way into his voice and he let out a whimper as he spoke. 

“Ness! I’m not messing around!! Ness--” 

A loud noise echoed out when a shadow lurched out at Lucas, causing him to scream out in terror. He smashed the flashlight at the shadow and recoiled quickly, only to hear laughing burst from said shadow. Quickly, he shone the light to reveal Ness who was laughing hysterically. 

Angrily, Ness shoved him back and stomped off, “Jerk!! I thought someone had taken you!!” 

“You should’ve seen the look on your face! Priceless!” Ness wiped away some stray tears forming as he attempted to collect himself, “That was awesome, Lucas!” 

Lucas looked back at Ness with a distressed look. “I seriously thought something bad happened to you …” he shook his head, “You can’t do that … especially after what just happened last week …” 

Ness finally stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes at Lucas. “You don’t think it still haunts me? I think about it all the time …” he rolled his eyes, “I just thought I’d get my mind off of it by doing this. So … sorry? I guess?” 

Just as Lucas had originally thought-- it was his way of coping. He felt bad and turned away, shining the light away from either of them. “No, I’m sorry … I shouldn’t have said that.” 

The two remained quiet for a moment and Ness walked over to Lucas. “Well, either way, you won the race, so I gotta keep my end of the bargain …” 

Lucas looked over and saw his purple eyes gleam in the light. He actually remembered and cared about the bet? He was surprised to say the least. Ness rubbed the back of his neck and sighed as he took the flashlight from Lucas. He shone it over at the wall and saw a big sign that said CAFETERIA. 

“Come on, this way.” 

As the duo walked towards the kitchen area, they remained quiet for a bit as Ness tried to come up with what to tell him. Over the past few weeks, they definitely had gotten closer. Hell, Ness would even consider Lucas a friend at this point. Maybe, if things had been different, and they had known each other before the apocalypse, they could’ve been actual friends. He turned back towards him as they continued walking. 

“So, is there anything in particular you wanna know about me?’ 

Lucas simply shrugged, “I dunno. Uh, maybe something shocking about you? Maybe like a secret only you know?” 

Ness chuckled a bit, “We’re not playing truth or dare, dummy. That’s a girl’s game.” 

“I thought you said I could choose--” 

“Alright, alright,” Ness pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. What could he tell him? Well, there was one BIG secret he hadn’t told anyone since this all went down. But, he knew he could trust Lucas with this secret. They had grown pretty close, after all. “Okay, I got something …” 

Lucas listened intently as he watched Ness lean against the wall, fiddling with the flashlight in his hands. He seemed really torn up about telling him this secret. Was it something small like a crush? Or something much bigger? Nonetheless, Lucas listened on. But, what he heard was something he definitely wasn’t expecting. Not by a long shot. 

With a deep sigh, Ness spoke quietly. “I caused the world to go dark.” He didn’t dare look at Lucas out of fear for what he’d see. He just glanced down at the flashlight, tossing it between his hands. 

Lucas froze and his eyes widened as he stared back at Ness completely dumfounded. Surely this must be some kind of prank or joke. No one could turn the world dark … could they? He looked at Ness with a look of pure confusion. 

“ … What? How …?” 

“I--” Ness struggled to find the words and turned away. Instantly, he regretted telling him this. Would he even believe him? Did he just make a huge mistake? His mind was going a million miles a minute, trying to figure out how he should continue. 

“I … know it seems unreal, but … the reason the world went dark is because of me, truthfully …” 

“Ness, I don’t understand … why would you do something like that …?” 

“It wasn’t intentional, I swear!” Ness cried back. He sighed shakily, trying to hold himself together. “There was this being known as Giygas … and my friends and I were sent to stop him. He was going to destroy the world and we almost stopped him, but … we failed …” 

He looked over at Lucas who bore a confused expression. How would someone even begin to reply to something like that? During their time together, Lucas and Ness had come to the conclusion that Lucas had come from a different time altogether. Lucas didn’t know about the technology of this time or recognize the lay of the land, so it was the only plausible idea. Was it because of Ness that he was here? Ness took the initiative and kept talking, despite how horrible he felt. 

“It’s because we failed to stop Giygas that the world is on the brink of collapse …” he shook his head, feeling a lump growing in his throat. It became much harder to talk, and he felt like crying. “My friends and I failed, Lucas … I think Giygas must’ve pulled you and your friends and family from your own time … and it’s all because of me …” he breathed out, feeling a sob escape with it, “The reason you’re here … the reason your family is all torn up … it’s all my fault …” 

Ness looked away from him, unable to look Lucas in the face anymore. He was sure Lucas hated him. He was thrown out of his own time and into this horrible dark world just because of something that could’ve been prevented. His first friend in three years, and he had messed it up. Part of him regretted ever mentioning this, but, another part of him was overjoyed to finally have it off of his chest. He suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness overcome him and tears welled up in his eyes. 

“Sorry,” he choked out. 

Lucas didn’t know how to respond in that moment. Ness wasn’t one to lie, but, the whole idea of making a world turn dark just seemed so strange to him. And Giygas? How had he never heard of a being like that. Surely, the tale of Ness defeating Giygas would’ve been passed down through generations … so why hadn’t Lucas ever heard of this? All of this time stuff was confusing Lucas beyond belief. It all sounded so outlandish and bizarre, but then again, Ness was never one to lie. He had to be telling the truth. 

Lucas approached Ness with a sad look on his face. Ness recoiled as he was sure he’d get what was coming to him. Lucas absolutely hated him and he was sure of that. He should’ve just stayed quiet-- should’ve let everything blown over. If Lucas found out later on then maybe that would’ve been for the best. He closed eyes and sighed, waiting for what was coming to him. Ness was surprised when he felt a gentle hug envelop him. He blinked in confusion, not sure how to respond. 

“I … I thought you would be furious …” tears fell down his cheeks as he choked out those words. “This is all my fault! How can you forgive me so easily …?” 

Lucas shook his head and hugged him tighter. He found himself rubbing his back soothingly, trying to calm his friend down. “I don’t blame you, Ness. I don’t blame you for any of this.” He felt Ness wrap his arms around him and bury his face into his neck. Ness was shaking, and it only made Lucas’s heart sink into the pit of his stomach. Was this why he was so secretive for so long? He had learned so much about Lucas, but, he never talked about himself. Now he knew why. Lucas continued rubbing his back in circles, hoping to give him some comfort. 

“Neither you or your friends are to blame for this.” he assured him, “It was just … a bad situation.” He closed his eyes and sighed as he rested his chin on Ness’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry you felt this way, Ness. You should’ve just told me from the start … I would’ve understood …” 

Lucas felt like crying himself as they held each other. Ness sobbed into Lucas’s shoulder, snaking his arms higher up to pull him deeper into the hug. Even after all these reassuring words, he still felt like he was to blame. If he and his friends had taken better precautions then maybe Giygas would be gone. Lucas would still be with his family in their own time, and things would have gone along normally. But now? Everything was ruined, thanks to him. Still, it felt nice knowing that Lucas didn’t blame him. 

After a few moments of embracing each other, Ness finally pulled away. The dim light from the flashlight shone up on his face, revealing a puffy, red face wet with tears. Lucas chuckled a bit and brought his sleeve up to wipe away the tears. 

“I didn’t think you were this emotional. Guess we have more in common than I thought, huh?” 

Ness pushed his hand away and chuckled with a hiccup mixed in. “Stop … I’m fine …” he brought his own hands up to his face to calm himself down. “Next time you owe me a secret …” 

“Alright, that sounds fair …” he sighed, “I guess I could tell you about how my mom died …” 

Ness took his hands away from his face and shook his head, “Lucas, no, you don’t have to do that …” 

“I want to. You told me something super personal-- it’s only fair that I tell you something too.” he gave him a sad smile to reassure him, “I’ll tell you tonight once we’re out of here.” 

“Alright, whatever you want …” his hiccups began to disappear and he was beyond pleased. He hated crying in front of others. He always felt so vulnerable and weird. But, for whatever reason when Lucas hugged him, it felt alright. 

“But, you know, there is one thing great about this dark world.” Lucas started. 

Ness looked over in confusion and rose a brow, “What?” 

“If I hadn’t been taken from my time … I never would’ve met you …” 

Ness scoffed and pushed against Lucas with his whole body. “Stop, that’s embarrassing. I’m nothing special.” 

“Well, I think you’re pretty great. I left my community by myself hoping I could do this alone … but I’m so glad I found you. If I had run into those men on the road, or had to fight off that dark monster alone, I don’t think I would’ve survived …” he turned to Ness and smiled, “So, thanks … for helping me.” 

“Thanks, Lucas … I really appreciate it …” he turned the flashlight towards a hallway with a CAFETERIA sign hanging over it. “This way. If we go through here, we’ll find the kitchen. Wherever there’s a kitchen, there’s a storeroom.” 

Lucas followed Ness into the long abandoned hospital cafeteria. Chairs were overturned and trays with rotting food had been left out in the open. It seemed like everyone had left this place in a panic. As they passed the lunch line, they both noticed a thick layer of dust overlaying the counter. They walked through the divider and found a door that most likely lead into the kitchen. Ness tried the knob, but, it was locked. 

“Locked …” Ness grunted in annoyance and searched the door, hoping to find a weakness somewhere on it. Finally, he took out his bat, and reared up the base of it at the knob, hoping to snap it off. With enough force, the knob became loose and fell from the door altogether. “Alright, be ready-- we don’t know what’s on the other side.” 

Lucas nodded and readied his weapon, standing a little ways behind Ness. As he mentally prepared himself for a fight, Ness threw his entire body against the door, watching it bust open with force. With quick reflex, Ness withdrew his bat and flashed the light about the room they found themselves in. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. No one or nothing was charging at them. Perhaps the hospital really was empty. Ness motioned for Lucas to follow and he did so obediently. 

The two walked down the long hallway towards the kitchen. They passed by a washing room and storage room for delivery carts to the floors. Finally, before long they began seeing appliances, fridges, and stoves. Ness peered around quick, hoping to maybe find some canned food out in the open, but, unfortunately, there was nothing. 

“Where do you think the storeroom would be?” Lucas asked, glancing about the giant kitchen. 

“No idea. I’d hate to say it, but we should split up. It’s small enough, so if you see something or hear something, just give a whistle and I’ll come running.” 

Lucas gulped and nodded reluctantly. “Alright … you keep the flashlight.” he sheathed his weapon and held up his fingertips, emitting a tiny PK Flash from them. “I can use this for a bit-- don’t worry, it won’t drain my power too much.” 

Ness nodded, “Alright. Be careful. Remember to whistle!” 

The two nodded and began their search around the black kitchen. Lucas would occasionally glance back at where Ness had gone and was relieved when he could still see the light from him no matter where he was in the room. Just like he had said, the kitchen was small. 

Lucas found many shelves as he explored, but the only things that seemed to be there were old bags of flour, spoons and forks, and the occasional condiment packets. He hummed for a moment before deciding to snatch a few ketchup packets. He wasn’t sure how good they’d taste, or if they had even gone bad-- but, if they could add just a little bit of flavor to their bland food, it’d be worth it. 

As he continued along the shelf, he found even more necessities they could use! Packaged oatmeal among other hot cereals were just sitting there for the taking! Lucas’s mouth watered as he tried to remember the last time he had actually had a hot meal. It had to have been before they wound up in this time. He grabbed the cereals and stashed the small packets into his bag as well. Finally, he came to the end of the shelf and was met with a door before him. He peered in through the glass window and couldn’t see anything-- even with the light from his PK Flash, he couldn’t really see anything. 

He turned back to see where Ness is when he saw him heading his way. 

“I was just about to whistle for you. I found this door, and it’s unlocked I think, but ...” Lucas peered into the glass one more time and finally made out a shadow within the darkness, “Wait-- I … I think there’s someone in there!” 

Ness narrowed his eyes. “Get away from the window then!” 

“S-sorry!” he backed off and crouched on the other side as Ness did the same. “So, what should we do then?” 

“I think I found the storeroom, but, there may be a key to it in there. I’d hate to keep making more noise busting down doors, so we need to see if there’s one in there.” 

“What about the shadow I saw inside …?” 

Ness went quiet and thought for a moment, trying to come up with an idea that wouldn’t get them killed. “Er … we’ll figure it out. Maybe if we’re nice and calm things will go easy …” 

“Ness …” 

“Come on,” Ness stood up quietly and reached for the door. Lucas sighed and followed his lead. 

“On the count of three, we open it and force some questions on them. We can’t be pushovers like last time.” 

Lucas nodded and readied his weapon. Ness counted down slowly and on three, he swung open the door and swung his bat in the direction of the shadow. Lucas followed suit and pointed the stick at the shadow. However, they were suddenly met with the horrid smell of rotting flesh. 

“Augh … what’s that horrible smell …” Lucas asked with a gag, 

Ness finally flashed the light onto the humanoid shadow only for him to drop it in fear. The boys’ eyes both widened in fear at the picture that unfolded before them. Ness scrambled to pick up the flashlight again before shakily shining it on the person once again. 

“Oh my god …” Ness said quietly, covering his mouth in disgust. 

Sitting before them in an office chair was an older woman wearing a name badge for the hospital. Her face was contorted in pain and agony as white, stringy hair fell over her eyes. It was actually quite hard to tell how long she had been there … since she was already starting to decay. An open gash was left in her chest, as dried blood seeped out from it. On the floor, a large butcher knife lay in a puddle of dry blood. The very scene was unsettling and upsetting to say the least. Both boys couldn’t help but stare on in fear. 

“What … happened to her …?” Lucas asked, his voice trembling with fear.  
“I-I don’t know …” Ness walked into the room, having to cover his face to prevent the awful smell from reaching him. Through his hand, he spoke. “But, whatever happened to her … was terrible …” 

Lucas walked in as well, feeling the light dim from his PK Flash. However, before it completely dissipated, he managed to see a piece of paper with a messy scrawl written on it. Just as his light went out, he motioned for Ness to come over. 

“Ness, look at this …” 

Ness brought the light over to the piece of paper and read it aloud. 

“To my family and friends-- do not grieve. I was a liability. You did not deserve the burden of me weighing you down. Instead of holding you back, you now have one less to worry about. This is a blessing for you. Survive this world … because I could not,” Ness gulped before continuing, “If you are not my family and you are reading this … stay away from them. Let them be. They will mean you no harm.” 

Ness’s eyes darted to the bottom of the paper where the handwriting got even messier. He struggled to read it, “Someone is coming … I must do this quickly. Take whatever you can find of use and get out. It is dangerous.They are dangerous.” 

“They …?” Lucas asked worriedly. “What does she mean by … ‘they’?” 

Ness shook his head before turning back to the woman. A fear settled onto him instantly as he thought of his mother. If she had lost Tracy in the havoc, what if she decided to do this as well. All sorts of horrible ideas and possible scenarios buzzed around in his head. 

“Why would she do something like this … even if she was older … there’s always a fighting chance …” 

Lucas couldn’t reply. He simply sighed and continued looking at the note. The ending seemed so cryptic, and it worried Lucas beyond belief. 

Ness tuned to the woman and sighed, “I’m sorry this happened to you …” 

As if from out of nowhere, Lucas spoke up. “Do you think we’ll end up like that …?” 

“Huh?” 

“Like her, I mean,” Lucas shrugged, “What if we never find Claus or your friends? What if … we find out they’re dead or they’ve been killed. What if … we lose our will to keep going …?” 

“Lucas, don’t think like that. I’ve been searching for this long and I’m not giving up until I find them.” 

“Sorry … I shouldn’t have said that,” he looked back at the rotting corpse and bit the inside of his cheek. “But, everything just seems so bleak now … do we even stand a chance?” 

“It may seem bleak, but, no matter what we need to keep moving forward. When you’re at the lowest low, things can only get better.” 

Lucas looked at him with concerned eyes, “Is this our lowest low …?” 

Ness didn’t know how to reply. Instead, he only looked back at Lucas with the same look. After a moment of unintentional staring, he averted his eyes and sighed. “Let's just get that key and find the storeroom … I don’t wanna be here anymore …” 

Without another word, the boys scoured the office room in search of the key and after a bit of searching they finally found it within a drawer. As a way to respect the dead, Ness closed the door behind him and used the universal kitchen key to lock the door to that office. At least now that old woman could rest in peace. 

Ness brought Lucas to the place where he thought the storeroom would be, and upon opening it there were still plenty of things for the taking. It already looked like it had been ransacked, but, many cans still littered the shelves. The woman’s note offered them to take what they needed and leave, so they took her up on that. They grabbed several different soup cans, some canned vegetables, and even some packaged applesauce. Ness even reluctantly grabbed several granola bars-- even after having feasted on them for three years. 

After taking what they needed, the two raided the nearby pharmacy as well. Like the storeroom, the pharmacy had been picked clean. However, there were still plenty of things Lucas could take. Being the designated healer of his and Ness’s small group, he took what he could. Much to his surprise, he was able to find sutures as well as peroxide and bandages. While heal and lifeup were incredibly valuable in desperate situations, it was nice to have these things on hand as well. After they took what they needed, they backtracked through the hospital and found the way in they had used. They escaped back into the dark, cold world and moved on quickly. 

However, Lucas dreaded for the time when they would set up camp. Much like Ness, he would have to tell him his personal secret. He wasn’t ready to relive his mother’s death by any means.

* * *

“PK Fire!” 

From both their fingertips, the boys unleashed two small flame bursts onto a designated fire pit. As the fire started growing, Ness tended to it to keep it contained as Lucas sat down on one side, warming his hands by the flames. Once the fire was properly tended to, Ness came to a sitting position next to Lucas. 

The two remained quiet for some time, taking in the quiet of the world around them. Despite the darkness, they could hear the wind rustling through the leaves above them, and even just that was relaxing to them. Lucas stared into the crackling fire as he found himself fiddling with a stray dead leaf. Ever since they had left the abandoned hospital, he had been dreading talking about his mother. After all, who would want to relive that? He knew now exactly what Ness was feeling and he didn’t want him to be the only one feeling like that. In a sense, Lucas felt like he owed him this. He sighed as he tore apart the leaf. 

“I suppose I should get on with my story before we get too tired to stay awake …” 

“You really don’t have to tell me if it’s too difficult for you …” 

“It wouldn’t be fair to you, and besides, I kinda wanna talk about it.” he turned towards Ness and gave him a half smile, “And who knows, maybe talking about it will actually make me feel better about it … maybe …” 

Lucas turned his attention to the sky and saw a pitch black abyss above their heads. He wished to see the stars again so badly. While he told his story, he didn’t want to look at Ness. He was afraid of all the horrible and emotional faces he’d have while he told it. Lucas at least wanted to keep his composure up until the end. A shiver was sent down his spine as the wind blew through his hair. He welcomed the chill and sighed. 

“Where to begin … I guess it all started a few nights after we first arrived in this time …” 

. . . . . . . . . 

“Perhaps the others are here too, Flint. We can’t be the only ones who don’t know what’s going on.” 

“You truly think the other Tazmily villagers are here? Where would we even begin to look? I wish I knew where I was takin’ us, but … I’m stumped.” 

“Well, even if the other Tazmily townsfolk aren’t here, we can’t be the only people here …” Hinawa glanced over at Lucas and Claus who were huddled by a roaring fire in an attempt to get warm. Boney lay next to them, his tail wrapped around the boys as he snuggled close to them. “I just want our boys to be safe … and it’s going to be getting colder soon …” 

“It’s funny you mention that, with all this talk about seasons. Why hasn’t the sun come up yet?” Flint looked up at the sky and tipped his hat, “I don’t like the looks of what’s goin’ on, Hina. I want what's best for our kids too, but, where do we even begin to go? We have no direction in this maddening darkness.” 

Hinawa smiled and stepped forward, taking Flint’s hands in hers. His larger hands were freezing to the touch, unlike hers which seemed to warm his instantly. Using her thumb, she rubbed the top of his hands soothingly, giving him a loving smile. “Perhaps the other townsfolk are around … there’s no harm in looking. It doesn’t matter how far we wander, I’m sure we’ll find someone willing to help us. I’ll go wherever you go, my love …” She kissed Flint and chuckled a bit, embracing him as they held each other close. 

Claus managed to sneak a peek at their kiss and gagged at the sight. “Ugh, why do they always have to do that around us. They’re always so lovey-dovey and it’s so gross!” he said in a whisper to Lucas. 

His twin only giggled, “I think it’s kinda sweet. It’s nice to see that they love each other~” 

Before Claus could retaliate with an argument, the entire family heard a twig snap in the woods, causing them to become alert. Boney’s ears perked up and he stared out into the woods, wondering what could have made such a noise. Both boys became unsettled and stood up, anxiously looking into the darkness before them. 

“Dad …?” Claus asked worriedly. Lucas was the first to run to his parents, embracing his mother as fear began to set in. Claus backtracked and stood next to his father, all while he looked at Boney, who still had a strange fixation on the woods in front of them. 

“Don’t worry, Claus,” Flint brought his hand to Claus’s shoulder and brought him in close, “I’m sure it was just an animal or somethin’.” Flint narrowed his eyes as he stared into the darkness. Even if it was animal, that crack sounded loud and close by. A small animal wouldn’t have made much noise, but, whatever had made that twig snap was large for sure. 

Fearing he might be wrong, Flint pushed Claus and Lucas between he and Hinawa for safety. At the very least, they’d be protected and would be able to get a running start if something came out of the woods. Again, there was another crack, this time much closer. 

This caused Boney to begin barking as he retreated to be closer to his family. Despite the constant hushing from Lucas and Claus, their words fell on deaf ears as his barking became more panicked. He began growling at the bushes ahead of them-- he sensed something within the darkness. Whatever was waiting for them in the pitch black intended on doing harm to them. 

Flint immediately reached for the fire pit and grabbed a moderately sized log Scorched, but still sturdy, he held it in front of his family as his boys cowered behind him. Hinawa simply embraced them, holding each twin gently. 

Lucas buried his face into his mother’s dress and whimpered, “Mom … I’m scared …” 

She held him gently and brushed her hand through his hair, “Shh … now, now my love … Dad has everything under control.” 

She peered up at Flint who seemed just as worried as her, but, they weren’t about to let that worry seep into their children. The last thing they’d want was to cause panic amongst the twins. Flint seemed ready to yell out and scare whatever was lurking in there off. However, when the cracks vanished and they heard nothing for a few moments. Nothing echoed out at them, and it seemed like whatever had been there was gone now. Flint sighed and set the branch back into the pit, letting the fire grow a bit. 

“Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now.” he turned to Claus and Lucas and crouched down to their height, “If something like this happens again, I need you boys to keep your distance. Let me handle it, alright?” 

“Flint …” Hinawa spoke gently. Flint shook his head at her and continued. 

“This is a strange world we’re in now. We don’t know what awaits us, but, I need you boys to be brave.” he turned to Lucas, “Especially you, Lucas. Can you do that fer me?” 

Lucas avoided eye contact and tugged at the base of his shirt nervously. “I-I … I can try …” 

A smile came to Claus’s face as he threw an arm around Lucas’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Don’t worry dad! Lucas has me to help! He’ll get so brave that the next time we see Fuel, he’ll be so jealous!” 

Lucas chuckled a bit and nodded, “Thanks, Claus …” 

Flint smiled and nodded to both of them. He was glad they understood what needed to be done. He was even more glad when Claus offered to help. Sure, sometimes his kids didn’t get along they way they should, but the fact that they would stick together through thick and thin was something he was proud of. 

Flint stood up and clapped his hands together. “Alright, with that outa the way, I think you kiddos should hit the hay. We’re gonna be headin’ out in the mornin’.” 

Claus’s happy demeanor vanished and he became quite pouty. “There is no morning though …” 

“Claus, stop being mouthy and get yer butt to bed.” 

Without another word, the boys listened and took to their makeshift beds on the ground. Flint and Hinawa sat opposite of them by the fire. He found himself sitting against a tree and watched as Hinawa sat beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed as he wrapped his arm around her. 

“Things will get better, love … I just know it.” she pressed her face to his chest and sighed dreamily, “We’ll find the other townsfolk, and we’ll all figure this out together ..” 

“I sure hope yer right …” Flint looked towards Hinawa when he felt her hand on his cheek. Her smile was contagious and automatically brought a smile to his worried expression. 

“Try not to worry …” she pressed her lips to his for a moment, parting shortly after, “Everything is going to work out. You’ll see …” 

“How’d I get so lucky to have you, Hina?”  
“Oh, stop it.” she pushed away and giggled before relaxing her head against him once again, “If anything … I’m the lucky one …” 

“Goodnight, Hina …”  
“Sleep well, love …” 

However, they didn’t get much of a chance to sleep before everyone was awoken by a scream from Hinawa. Flint and Claus were the first to jolt awake, followed by a confused Lucas and Boney barking into the night. Flint looked around in the darkness and finally made out the silhouette of a man holding Hinawa hostage! The man was short in statue, and from the darkness, no one could really make out his physical features. Slowly, Flint rose to his feet, hands up to show he meant no harm. Hopefully all could go well if they reasoned with the man. However, no matter how slowly Flint rose, the man pulled out a knife and put it to Hinawa’s neck. 

“Mom!?” Claus exclaimed, ready to charge at the man. As if on cue, someone from the darkness dressed in black reached out and restrained Claus. “Let me go!” 

“Clau-!” Lucas was cut off when he had been restrained too. The youngest twin began weeping as terror filled him. “Daaaaad!!” 

“Let them go! They’re only children!” Flint yelled. He looked at Boney as he growled at one of the man’s cohorts approaching him. In the heat of the moment, Boney ran off into the woods, his barking disappearing. 

“Let the stupid dog go!” the man bellowed out. He pressed the blade to Hinawa’s neck, hearing a faint gasp come from her. “Now that I have your attention. I want all of your supplies-- now. I won’t ask twice. And if you don’t, this pretty woman here gets it.” 

Tears flowed from Hinawa’s eyes as she looked at her restrained children, “Flint … please, get the boys and leave …” 

Shakily, he rose his hands again to try and reason with the strange man. “C-come on now, sir. We’ve only just arrived here … we don’t know what’s goin’ on … just lower the knife and--” 

The man behind Hinawa pushed the knife to Hinawa’s throat, beginning to draw blood. She flinched at the sudden pain and looked with horrified eyes at Flint. “Supplies!! Now!! I’m not fucking around!!” 

The mans cohorts pressed Lucas and Claus to the ground, and pulled up their weapons, aimed at the children. Lucas, who was a sobbing mess, clung to his brother. Even Claus who managed to keep calm under pressure, was falling apart at the sight of all this. Flint watched on in disbelief. How could this have all happened so quickly? Nothing like this would have ever happened back in Tazmily. Could it have been prevented? 

He turned back to the man and gulped, unsure of what to do. “Please … we don’t have anythin’ but the clothes on our backs …” Flint was practically begging with him, “Just … let my family go and …”

“Flint …” Hinawa sobbed, “Claus, Lucas … I love you all very, very much …” 

Flint watched in horror as she kicked the man hard and managed to struggle free. That was enough to get the man away from her. The cohorts watched in awe and took their eyes off of Claus and Lucas, enough for them to get away. From the darkness, Boney also made a return! He jumped at the cohorts that had Lucas and Claus pinned, tearing into them. All around him, chaos had ensued, and it was time to fight back! 

He reached for the same branch within the fire pit and ran at the cohorts, ready to send them off. Hinawa was left to face the man who had her in a choke hold. She narrowed her eyes at him and spoke sternly. 

“Leave us be … we’re being sincere. We really have nothing!” 

She watched as the man approached her, and for every step he took, she took several steps back. Hinawa turned to see what was happening with Flint and her boys before she was ultimately caught off guard. One of the man’s cohorts came up from behind her and held her still. 

“Stop!” she cried, “Don’t do this!” 

“Hinawa!” Flint cried out, seeing his wife struggling once again. Once he saw that Boney was handling protecting Lucas and Claus, he stormed to his wife’s aid. However, this strange man had more men that anticipated. They weren’t giving up easily. 

The man approached Hinawa as she looked back in pure horror. “You know? I know you don’t have any supplies. But, we’re on a mission, you see. Anybody who gets in our way, must pay the price.” with a quick motion of his hand, he slashed the blade across Hinawa’s throat. Blood gushed out and her panicked screams became gurgles as the cohort let her drop to the ground. 

“HINAWA!” Flint screamed, bashing the strange men with the log. Claus and Lucas, who had heard the terrible sounds, join in with Boney and sent the cohorts packing. Flint also managed to send plenty of his men running or leave them dead on the ground. Just as he was about to attack the man-- they were suddenly gone as quickly as they had arrived. 

From the forest, his voice echoed out, a dastardly laugh followed suit. Everyone was left absolutely traumatized after that experience. 

“This is a new world, you fools!” the man’s voice echoed out, “You either adapt, or you fall-- and you’ve fallen. Take this as a lesson, and the next time you see me, be ready to fight.” 

Flint dropped the branch and ran to Hinawa’s side. The man was gone now, finally, but the damage had been done. Lucas and Claus sat on either side of her, both tearfully calling out her name. She looked up with terrified eyes, as blood poured out at an amazing amount. 

“Now, Hinawa, listen to me,” Flint said shakily, “You’re going to be fine, y’here? Just look at me-- keep your eyes on me. We’re here.” 

Flint removed his bandana and applied it to the wound on her throat, hoping it’d be enough to give her a chance to breathe. All the while, Lucas held her free hand, clutching it close to his chest as he cried out. Between him and Boney’s whimpers, he wasn’t sure which would break his heart first. Claus only starred on in disbelief. In the attempt to save her, Hinawa only choked out gargles as she tried to talk to her family one last time. 

The attempt was in vain because within minutes, she was gone. 

“Mom …?” Claus asked, shaking her arm, “Mom!” 

“MOM!” Lucas bawled, pressing his face to her body, sobbing even harder. 

Flint starred in disbelief as the gleam in her eye disappeared. “Hinawa …?” he shook her a tad, “Hinawa!” He sat back as tears fell down his face. The whole scene unfolding before him was awful. Boney moved towards Flint, brushing up against his owner in an attempt to make him feel better, but to no avail, nothing could cure this. 

He stood up and walked off, leaving his children to grieve. He found a nearby tree and cursed under his breath as he pounded a fist into it, absolutely destroyed. He wasn’t even bothered by the fact that his knuckles grew bloody. Everything was ruined-- gone forever. Between the red flashing in his eyes, and his children’s wails, he felt absolutely sickened. 

After his outburst, Flint returned to her side. The four of them sat there, standing vigil for several hours. None of them wanted to leave her side. After much mourning, tears, and regrets, they decided it was best to leave. They found a quiet place to lay her to rest and shoved off to find some people to help them. Luckily, they ran into the other Tazmilians after long. After describing the horrible scene, they all worked together to make a camp where everyone could be safe. 

After that ordeal, both Lucas and Claus had become reclusive and didn’t speak to many people afterwards. And Flint, well, Flint was never the same either. As much as they appreciated the loving embrace from the townsfolk, some wounds just couldn’t heal. 

Claus proved that point by leaving several years later … 

. . . . . . . 

The fire flickered as Lucas finished his story, leaving Ness in absolute shock. He was honestly surprised Lucas had held himself together. What should he even say in this instance? He was sorry? That didn’t even feel sincere at that point. It would only feel like words at most. How could Lucas still be such a caring and sweet person after all that had happened to him? Ness just couldn’t believe it. In the end, there was really only one thing Ness could think to say. 

“Are you … okay …?” 

A few moments of silence passed before a sob escaped Lucas. He tucked his head into his knees and began crying. “No … I thought talking about it would h-help but … I just feel even w-worse …” 

“Lucas …” Ness scooted closer and embraced Lucas in a hug. The blonde immediately accepted the gesture and buried his face into Ness’s chest, sobbing harder. Ness felt his own chest tighten up. He had never heard him cry like this, and it was heartbreaking. “I’m so, so sorry that happened to you … that never should’ve happened …” 

“I-I miss her so m-much …” Lucas replied as he hiccuped and choked on his words, “I just want her and C-Claus back …” 

Ness rubbed his back soothingly and sighed. What more could he even say? He felt like he would start crying any second. “We’ll find him … I promise!” Ness felt his heart shatter when Lucas didn’t reply, and only cried harder. “Hey … come on, it’s gonna be okay …” 

Slowly, Lucas began to regain control of himself. It had been years since he cried like that, feeling like he had to put on a brave facade for everyone. In reality, this was exactly what he needed. A good cry. Eventually, his tears stopped falling and only the occasional hiccup would escape him. Once he had gotten everything out of his system, he parted from the hug and looked away from Ness. His face was red and wet with tears, just as Ness had looked earlier. 

“You feel any better …?” 

“A little …” he brought his sleeve to his face and wiped away the tears, “Kinda felt good to let it all out like that …” 

“You don’t need to bottle everything up like that Lucas, okay? It’ll just make you feel worse …” 

Lucas chuckled a bit, only for it to turn back into a sob. “I thought I had moved on … I didn’t think I’d get this sad …” 

“That’s how I felt earlier. Once it was over and done with, I felt a lot better.” 

“Yeah …” He let a loud sigh as he fell backwards onto the grass and stared up at the sky. He spread out his arms above him and longed for the stars to come out even more now. A faint smile crossed his face as he looked up. “This reminds me of when me and Claus were younger. We’d always come out under the sky and watch the stars at night …” 

“Yeah?” Ness laid down beside him and got comfy. He placed his hands on his belly as he attempted to ‘stargaze’ with Lucas. “From how you described him in your story, he seemed like a great big brother. I think he can handle himself just a little bit longer until we find him.” 

“Yeah … he is pretty great …” 

“I’m really proud of you for talking about this, Lucas. I know it was hard.”  
“Thanks, me too …”  
“And, I’m here if you ever need someone to vent to. You know that, right?”  
“Mhmm …” 

Another cold breeze blew through the dark world, rustling the boys’ hair as they began to drift off to sleep. They were in a secluded area, so, they were sure they could get some good sleep tonight. 

“Night, Ness …”  
“Night, Lucas. See you in the morning …”  
“More like see you at night …”  
“Got me there …”


	8. Save Him

“Don’t you find it just a little bit strange that Fassad keeps sending us out on scavenging missions? There’s so much to do here at the compound, you’d figure he’d find other people to swap out.” 

“Yeah … I dunno, I guess he’s set on his ways …” 

It had been about a week or so since since Ninten was forcefully brought into agreement by Fassad to help with his plan with Claus. It was known to everyone that he possessed incredible PSI powers. But, the thing Fassad wanted to know was if it could be harnessed and manipulated-- made stronger by force. That’s where Ninten came in-- he had to manipulate Claus’s emotions. During this past week, he had been trying with very minimal effort, out of having no desire to help Fassad in the slightest. Ninten was a pacifist at heart, and more than anything he wanted to avoid conflict and hurting his friend anymore than he already had. But, Fassad began to catch wind of his failed attempts. He made it clear if he didn’t, Ninten would pay for his insolence. 

While he was sad that Claus had been brainwashed, he couldn’t shake off the good feeling it was to actually have a friend again. After Ana, Teddy and Lloyd had vanished, Ninten had no one. Porky and Picky were never incredibly nice to him, and the other people in the compound just saw him as another annoying kid. So, when Claus actually talked to him and showed interest in holding a conversation, it felt nice-- despite the fact that he was brainwashed into believing they were friends. But, he knew he’d have to follow through with what Fassad wanted-- one way or another. It was just something he couldn’t prevent forever. 

According to the clock in their room, it was morning, even if it was pitch black outside. Everyone was already up and getting ready for their daily tasks. Ninten took his time packing everything they needed for this next run, knowing very well that today he had to at least try to get some kind of reaction out of Claus. If he didn’t, well, there was no telling what Fassad had in store for him. When he finally packed the last thing they needed, he sighed and turned to see Claus raring to go. Ever since he was brainwashed, he seemed happier. Ninten wished he could say liked the change in attitude, but it just wasn’t sincere. With nothing more to say, the two began their exploration through Fourside as they left the compound together.

As per usual, Fassad had them head out into the giant city to scavenge for any supplies. After all, with Fourside being as massive as it was, there had to be plenty of nooks and crannies where unfound items were just waiting for the taking. Even after three years of people scavenging and looting, there still had to be something. At least, that’s all that was running through Claus’s mind. Ninten knew they weren’t really going into Fourside to scavenge. Fassad always sent out another scouting party after they returned, and Ninten always hated that he thought they weren’t capable of doing what he wanted. Nonetheless, today was going to be terrible, just like any other day. 

The two made their way from the compound and down the hill into the depths of the city. It didn’t matter how many times they made this descent-- it was always just as dangerous as the last time. After a recent rainfall, the steep edges were muddy and slippery, so extra caution was needed. The two often had to hold onto branches and shrubs as they made their way to the city, careful not to fall and risk injury. 

During their travels down to the city, Ninten would oftentimes slip and take a tumble down the steep cliff before Claus was able to catch him. He’d always be met with, “You’re the one who always tells me to be careful! Get it together!” and the two would laugh about it, but only for a moment. Claus would continue his lectures and poke fun at Ninten, but, he’d only reply with silence. He thought today would be like any other trip into Fourside-- quick and without profit-- but he was wrong. Neither of them were prepared for this outcome.

* * *

Claus pulled out a map from his backpack and spread it out in front of them while Ninten flickered a flashlight onto it. The ginger studied its contents carefully before pinpointing where they should head. As they scavenged, they would consult the others in the compound and themselves to see where buildings were empty or where a possible abundance of items could be. Then they would mark it down on their map and continue on from there. 

“According to the map, this entire area of the city hasn’t been scavenged,” he traced a circle with his fingertip around the area he had drawn attention to, “It might be worth it to check there.” 

Claus was half expecting a reply from the raven haired boy, and when he didn’t receive a word, he turned to him and saw him spacing out. He had been like this for the past week, and while he was sure he was forgetting something, he remembered how kind and carefree Ninten had been before. What had happened to him to make him so reclusive? 

“Ninten!”   
“Huh ...?”   
“You were spacing out again.”  
“Oh, sorry, I uh … guess I hadn’t realized.” 

Claus looked up at him with a look of confusion. “You always space out though. You have been for a while now. Is something wrong?” he folded up the map and stood up next to him. “I’m your friend-- you can tell me anything.” 

“No … nothing. I just haven’t been feeling well is all …” Ninten said with a lie. 

“Well, when we get back you should tell Fassad. He could take you off missions for a little bit until you’re feeling better.” 

Ninten simply shrugged and walked past him, heading for the area Claus had shown on the map. He heard the other boy sigh and only felt himself grow sadder. He had to get this done today-- or at least make some progress in finding something out. But, which emotion to trigger? Happiness? Nah, that couldn’t make his PSI stronger. Maybe fear? There’s a lot to be fearful of in this world. It may be worth a shot. 

“Hey, can I ask you something while we’re walking?” Ninten asked, cocking his head back. 

“Sure,” Claus was relieved to see Ninten was finally making an effort to talk to him again. After all, the three years they spent together at the compound had to mean something right? He smiled big and walked next to Ninten, “What’s up? Is it about how you’re not feeling good?” 

“Er, not really … I dunno why this suddenly came to me, but, I wanted to know how you feel on it.” Ninten never thought of himself as a good liar, but Claus was buying it, and he hated that. “Are you scared of anything? Like, do you have any fears?” 

Claus couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, “Fears? Why do I feel like we must’ve talked about this before? Well, lemme see …” he crossed his arms and hummed as he tried to come up with an answer. It took a while, but he finally replied, “You know, I can’t really think of anything. Well, maybe … being alone? I know that’s kinda dumb, but …” 

“That’s not dumb at all!” Ninten replied genuinely, “I’d be scared of being alone too-- especially in a world like this.” 

“Well, what about you?” Claus asked, “What are your fears? You said being alone, sure, but there’s gotta be something else.” 

“But, you don’t have more than one?” Ninten found himself chuckling a bit, which was a welcome surprise to Claus, “Well, now that I think about it … I can’t stand the idea of never seeing my friends or family again. Before I came to this compound, I had three very good friends, but … well, I dunno what happened with them.” 

Claus remained quiet as he listened on to his story. Ninten looked over at him and watched as Claus nodded for him to keep going. “My mother and sisters mean the world to me, so, never getting to see them again … that’s a scary thought.” 

“Oh,” Claus mumbled quietly, “You don’t know where they are?” 

“In the chaos of everything, I got seperated from my family. It’s like, we were at our home one minute and then the next everything was black and they had vanished. I was lucky enough to have found my friends, miraculously. But, before joining Fassad, everything’s a blur …” 

“You know, everything is also a blur to me, now that you mention it.” Claus reached for his forehead and parted his bangs, “I feel like I’m trying to remember something, but … it’s all very fuzzy. I remember coming to the compound, you and I met each other …” 

Ninten turned back to Claus with a worried expression. He had been brainwashed, so, there was no way he would be able to remember everything. As much as Ninten wanted to try and jog his memory, he felt it would all be in vain. 

“Well, don’t stress too much about it … I’m sure it’ll come to you eventually.” 

“Hey, this is kinda strange, but … could you talk about your family again? I think I might’ve been onto something …” Claus insisted. Ninten had a feeling nothing would come of it-- after all, Porky told him over and over that nothing could break the brainwashing, despite his best efforts. Maybe he’d even get somewhere and trigger and emotion and powerful PSI. As much as he didn’t want to, he continued talking as Claus wished. 

“Well, like I said, I had two sisters growing up and we lived with my mother. My father was gone for a while, but, I didn’t mind much. I had to leave them and went on a strange quest with my friends to defeat this alien named Gigue. I know it sounds weird, but bear with me. Anyway, after all that was said and done, I was able to return home …” Ninten found himself smiling a bit, “I was so happy to finally go back home. All of my friends returned home too, but, it didn’t last too long.” 

“Because you were sucked out of your time, right?” 

Ninten nodded, “Yeah … I don’t know why it happened or how, but, the fact that I was separated from my family is very worrisome. For all I know my sisters … my mom … they could all be dead …” 

Ninten hadn’t noticed that Claus stopped walking behind him, and kept talking anyway. “Either way, I can’t lose hope. I know they’re out there somewhere! Just like my old friends!” he felt his cheeks grow hot when he remembered one of said dear friends, “I … especially hope Ana’s alright … see, before everything happened she was--” 

Finally, Ninten realized Claus had stopped some time before. He turned and saw his silhouette in the darkness before running back to his side. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to be … shaking? It wasn’t too cold out-- so what was the problem? 

“Claus …? Hey, Claus!” he waved a hand in front of him, hoping to get his attention, “Claus, are you alright? What’s wrong?” 

Claus’s breath became shaky as he stumbled backwards, holding his head as if he were in pain. His shaky breathing turned into groans, which ultimately turned into short yells. Ninten was instantly taken aback by his sudden behavior. 

“Claus! What’s wrong?!” he brought his hands to either shoulder and gently shook him, “Why are you screaming? Claus!” 

Finally, he stopped, and in the shine from the flashlight, Ninten saw him look over-- eyes small with fear. His pupils shook with terror as the two locked gazes. Ninten gulped when he saw Claus’s facial expression shift. 

“You … you’re …” Claus grumbled lowly.   
“It’s me, Ninten!” he gave him a smile, “Are you okay? You scared me there for a second …” 

Before Ninten could even hope for a reply from the boy, he was taken off guard with a swift movement from the ginger. His hands were removed from his shoulders and he was knocked off of his feet. Ninten hit the ground with a thud and he groaned as the slight pain flew up his tailbone. Before he was able to recover, Claus was on top of him. He held a knife to his throat, and the boy was crying and shaking as he tried to assert his dominance over Ninten. What had even happened? 

“Claus-- what’re you--?”   
“SHUT UP!” he pressed the blade to Ninten’s neck, only for him to gasp out at the sharp sensation. 

Claus’s shaky breathing returned to him which in turn made his arms shake as he held the blade at the raven haired boy’s neck. Tears threatened to fall as he held his stiff position, ready to show no mercy against him. 

“Wait, did you actually remember?!” Ninten frantically tried to figure out what to do in such a situation. He tried sitting up, but only felt Claus push him farther down. “Claus … talk to me ...” 

“Stay down!” the blade made a nick in Ninten’s skin, causing him to flinch slightly. “Why did I forget everything?! I know you know!!” 

Ninten’s eyes widened at the sudden confrontation. Yeah, he did know, but, he didn’t have the guts to outright say anything to him either. He could tell him what Fassad did and dance around the manipulation tactic. Yeah-- that seemed like the best bet, and a sure fire way to not get his throat slit open. 

“Fassad brainwashed you--” Ninten looked up at him and watched his expression change from angry to pure horror. Tears fell from his eyes as he tried to grasp the reality of it all. “I have no idea he did that to you! Not until Porky told me! I tried helping, but …” 

Claus began shaking even more, trying to come to terms with the fact that his brain had been flushed of all memories. He did remember Ninten trying to help him, but, after that everything was a blur. He didn’t remember Fassad actually doing anything to him-- so how was he supposed to know Ninten wasn’t lying? 

“You’re … you’re a liar!” he said with a sob escaping, “Give me one good reason why I should believe you!” Again he pressed the knife to Ninten’s neck. However, instead of recoiling, Ninten only looked up at him with a look of sadness. 

“Because … I don’t like Fassad any more than you do.” he felt Claus ease up on the knife, “When I found out what he did to you and your family, I was heartbroken and I felt betrayed. I don’t want to be here anymore, Claus …” 

Claus’s green eyes stared back at Ninten’s blue eyes, both shimmering in the flashlight. The ginger boy sat back, getting off of Ninten and sitting beside him. Whether or not he was to be believed, he had to admit, he was better than Fassad. He stared at the knife in his hand, fidgeting with it as Ninten continued talking. 

“I promise, I would do anything to go against his orders.” he sat up and positioned himself beside Claus. “You’re the only one I like here. Having someone to talk to this past week … it’s been nice …” 

“I was brainwashed though.” Claus mumbled lowly, “That person you were talking to … wasn’t me. The real Claus wouldn’t trust you at all. I don’t know what I acted like before, but that wasn’t who I really am.”

“But, you can trust me!” Ninten exclaimed. “I want to help you! We can--” 

Ninten looked around the dark city and ended up looking at the path they had come from, staring back at the dark silhouette of the compound in the distance. He gulped and pointed back towards it. 

“On the other side of the compound there’s an unguarded area. I’ve seen it lots of times, but, Porky said it’s rigged. We can get out of here, we just need to be fast and careful!” 

“It won’t work.” Claus said quietly, “And, even if it did, it’s probably just a trap.” 

Ninten narrowed his eyes at his friend, now growing a bit impatient. “You think I like living under Fassad’s rule? Do you really think I’d even consider staying here if I had the chance to leave?” 

Claus said nothing. He just didn’t know what to say in that moment. As much as he wanted to believe Ninten was telling the truth, you just couldn’t trust anybody in this new world. 

“Fassad is evil--” Ninten finally said, “I don’t want anything to have to do with him anymore. We could go back to your community, rally everyone together and get out of there before Fassad even has the chance to find us!” 

Claus sighed, “You sound so sure of yourself. Even if you are telling the truth and you really do wanna leave, how do you know we’ll even succeed?” 

“We have to! We don’t really have another choice! Once we’re past the minefield … we’re home clear!” Ninten gave him a sympathetic smile, “Don’t you wanna see your family again …?” 

After a short pause, Claus finally nodded slowly. “More than anything …” 

“Well, the only way to see them again is to take the initiative and leave. We don’t have much to lose!” Ninten was tired of living under Fassad’s tyrannical rule. Having to lie to Claus’s face was hard enough, but, he knew now that Claus was free of his brainwashing. Chaos would break loose if they returned, and he was afraid to see what Fassad would do to Claus from there. 

He stood up and extended a hand to Claus who looked back with a concerned look. “Please, Claus. I promise I’m gonna help you however I can. No lies, no tricks-- I’m being sincere. Please believe me.” 

Claus bit his lip, not sure what he should do. Deep inside his gut, he was sure this was all a trap. Ninten was deceiving him, that much he knew. But, the other half of him was telling him that Ninten was a good person. Fassad was the bad one here, and Ninten was only doing his best to survive. With a heavy sigh, Claus reached up and took hold of Ninten’s hand, accepting his help. He didn’t have much more to lose, might as well take it for what it’s worth. 

“Fine … I’ll believe you.”   
“Thanks, Claus … I promise, we’ll get you home safe and sound!”   
“I really hope you’re right …” 

The duo turned back towards the compound, wondering just how they would be able to do this. According to Porky, the whole west side of the compound had explosives rigged around the area. Were they hidden? Most likely. They’d have to move quickly and carefully, or else they’d get blown to smithereens. But, it was worth it if it meant getting away from Fassad.

* * *

The duo arrived at the field west of the compound in just a short amount of time. The area they stood in wasn’t guarded as far as they knew, and just as Ninten had worried, it was pitch black and no silhouettes stood out to him. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack-- impossible. 

“Still think we can do this?”   
“We have to!” Ninten exclaimed. 

He took hold of Claus’s hand and tugged him along, determined to get past the obstacle in front of us. He didn’t know how sensitive the explosives were, so he moved as carefully as possible. If the ground felt uneven or strange, he moved elsewhere. Claus carefully followed in Ninten’s footprints, being sure they stayed on the same path. 

“I wish we could use our flashlight but, I don’t want to alert everyone that we’re out here …”   
“Just move carefully … and hopefully we won’t get blown up.” 

Ninten moved with a carefully placed footstep each time he moved, patting the ground beneath him gently, hoping to find smooth surfaces beneath his feet. So far, so good, but they were still a long way off from the woods. 

It seemed like they were moving at a snail’s pace, but they’d rather be safe than sorry. They weren’t sure how much time had passed before they could finally see the trees within grasp, but, they were beyond happy to say the least! Freedom was just within their grasp! How they had made it past that minefield was beyond either of them, but they were ready to feel the sweet embrace of freedom! Just a little bit more and they were finally free! 

“Ninten, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before. You wouldn’t be doing something so dangerous if you weren’t being honest.” he shrugged a bit and forced a smile, “Thanks.” 

“Claus, I--”

Ninten’s heart dropped when he heard Claus’s foot thud something metallic in the darkness. Before either of them had any time to react, an overwhelming blast punctured the air and both boys were sent flying. Ninten knew all too well what had happened, but, as soon as it had happened, everything went dark and a lasting ringing drifted in his ears until he fell unconscious. 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been out, but when Ninten awoke, his ears were still ringing. Small cinders and flames had caught the grass on fire around him, and smoke bellowed out everywhere. He found himself wheezing as he tried to catch his breath-- of all the times he forgot to bring his inhaler, it had to be now. Ninten came to a sitting position, feeling burns and stinging sensations all over his body. In the darkness, he couldn’t see how badly he had been hurt. All he could surmise was that he had been burned. His thoughts were pushed to the side of his mind when he saw a shape in the distance lighted somewhat by the fire. In an instant, all of his concern about him vanished, and he found himself struggling to that shadow. It was Claus! He could make out the organe clothing he wore in the dim light. 

“Claus …” he wheezed, his voice sound much lower and raspier than it usually did. He stood on his feet, holding the afflicted areas and painfully dragged himself to him. When he was close enough, he collapsed beside him, struggling once again to stand up. 

“Claus!” he finally managed to say through the pain in his throat. He sat up beside him and shook him a bit, hoping to wake his friend up. He was beyond relieved when he saw Claus look back with half lidded eyes. “Oh, thank god you’re alright …”

Claus coughed forcefully as he inhaled smoke, and to both their surprise, even a bit of blood. Ninten looked at him concerned and tried to pinpoint if he had been injured anywhere. It didn’t take long for him to realize that his right arm … no longer existed. The blast had blown it clear off! He stared at his friend in dismay, beginning to shake as he tried to grasp the severity of the situation. 

“Nin … ten …” Claus gasped. 

“H-hey, shh, don’t talk … you’re gonna be fine!” Ninten removed his scarf from his neck, and in turn removed the Franklin Badge on it before pressing it to Claus’s wound. He wrapped it around tightly, hoping to cut off the blood flow and in turn, bide them some more time. He looked back at Claus who, despite having lost a limb, seemed calm. 

“I … can’t feel my arm …” Claus said in a low, raspy voice. He turned his head towards Ninten slowly as blood dripped from his mouth. “What happened …? You said we’d be fine …” 

Ninten shook his head and continued applying pressure to the wound. “I-I thought we were going to be … there was no way we could’ve-- I should’ve--” his arms began to shake violently, as he heaved out a sob, “Claus, I’m so, so sorry …” 

Claus said nothing for a moment. Before talking, he breathed in a way that sounded as if something had collapsed inside of him. As if he were struggling to breathe. “Am I … going to die …?” 

He had always lied to Claus since the brainwashing, and even now he couldn’t help himself by lying some more. “N-no! You’re going to be just fine! Just look at me,” he placed his free hand on his head, brushing through his hair soothingly, “Just keep your eyes on me, okay? Y-you’re gonna be okay …” 

“I … I don’t feel okay …” he breathed deeply again, wheezing just like Ninten. He felt tears welling up in his eyes as fear settled in, “I don’t want to die … I’m so scared …” 

Ninten wasn’t sure what to say anymore. Fear and sadness had taken over where determination should have been. All he could hope to reply with was a stream of sobs as he tried to stop his friend’s arm from bleeding. His eyes widened when he heard Claus speak up again, this time much quieter. 

“I feel … so tired …” Claus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “Everything’s quiet … and cold …” 

“No, you have to stay up, Claus!” Ninten wheezed, shaking him a bit, “You don’t have to talk, you can just listen to me! Soon, you’ll be with your family …” 

Claus’s eyes fluttered a bit as he strained to try and open them, “You mean … my mom, right …?” 

“What? No!” he shook him again, “Claus! Please, stay with me! ...Please …” 

With one final, deep breath, Claus closed his eyes and spoke as quiet as ever. “A little sleep … will help …” 

“No, Claus, please …” Ninten shook him again, but, it was no use. Claus wasn’t responding. It was as if he had fallen unconscious. Ninten refused to believe he had died, but, at that moment, everything felt so bleak. “Claus … no … wake up!!” 

He pulled his friend in close, enveloping him in a hug as he cried harder and harder, choking on his gasps for air in the process. Between every sob and every wheeze, he felt his own breathing growing sharp. In a desperate attempt to help Claus, he called out into the dark void around them. 

“SOMEBODY!!” he screamed out, “PLEASE …! Somebody … help him …” 

He buried his face into the crook of his friend’s neck, begging and pleading for him to live and wake up. In that instant, any control Ninten had over his emotions was gone and he was a sobbing, snivelling mess. His first friend in three years and he was dead in his arms. Everything had happened so fast and he replayed the scenario over and over in his head, thinking of different ways it could’ve been avoided. 

Ninten’s thought were cut short when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He shook like a wet kitten and turned around as fear surged through him. Behind him was Fassad, Porky, and several men behind them. Neither one had a sympathetic face, or even a smirk. It was a look of pure disappointment. Even Porky, who loved to mock Ninten at every moment he got, wasn’t laughing or smiling or anything. 

“F-Fassad …” Ninten whimpered pathetically. 

“Why couldn’t you just listen …?” Fassad asked lowly, “This is what happens when you don’t heed my warnings and obey my orders, Ninten …” 

Ninten shuddered beneath their glares, only holding Claus closer as if he were some sort of comfort to him. Fassad shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the boy. 

“Because of your foolish idea to escape this place … Claus is going to die.” 

“N-no …” Ninten whimpered, “He can’t …” 

“Perhaps now you will listen. Let this be a harsh lesson for you, Ninten.” 

Ninten turned to his friend and sobbed harder, not even letting the glares from the others embarrass him further. Everyone was silent as he continuously choked on his sobs and wheezes. 

“Fassad, please … help him …!” Ninten pleaded desperately.   
“He’s a lost cause, Ninten. You proved that to me.”   
“Please …” 

Ninten hiccuped as he turned back to Fassad, his face wet with tears. “We’ll … we’ll never try to leave again. We’ll help you create the perfect fortress here in Fourside …We’ll do whatever you want …” 

He turned back to Claus in his arms and closed his eyes as he shook his head. “Just save him, Fassad … please … PLEASE!!” 

After a moment of begging and pleading to save his life, Fassad knelt down beside Ninten to inspect Claus further. He saw how the blood had begun to seep through Ninten’s scarf and began to soak the grass. 

“Let me see him.” 

Reluctantly, Ninten passed over Claus to Fassad and watched as the man placed two fingers on Claus’s neck. A few moments later his eyes widened and changed expression. 

“He has a faint pulse. He may not have long. We’ll return to the compound and see to you both getting fixed up.” he stood up, Claus in his arms, and handed the boy off to one of his men. “Take the safe route back. We don’t want anymore explosions.”

As the men took off with Claus, Ninten watched on with a saddened expression as he was left with Fassad and Porky. The man glared down at Ninten as he struggled to stand. 

“I’m holding you to that promise, Ninten. Let this be your punishment. If the boy dies, that’s also on you and your burden to carry. It seems brainwashing doesn’t seem to work ... “ Ninten was sure he heard Fassad mumble something under his breath. But, because of the constant ringing in his ears, he couldn’t be sure. 

He flinched when Fassad grabbed hold of his arm and tugged him along like he was some sort of animal on a leash. Before leaving, Fassad, Porky, and the remaining men took care of what was left of the explosive, as well as dousing the flames. Then it was time to head back to the compound. 

Ninten took one last look at the woods behind him and felt a pain in his stomach. Whether it was from the explosion, from the pain of almost being free, or both, it hurt immensely. They had almost made it, and it was yanked from their grasp at the last second. One thing was certain, if Claus did survive, there was no way he’d ever forgive Ninten. That was more painful than anything. 

In that instant, it would’ve been better if that explosion had killed them …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up!   
> Motivation has not been kind to me lately;; 
> 
> But, I do hope you enjoy this chapter!   
> And I always want you guys to know that _your tears fuel my need to keep writing!_


	9. Don't Be Afraid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaaat? I finally have a chapter ready before the weekend? **CRAZY, I KNOW**   
> Anyhow, the chapter notes come before the chapter because there's some song references in this chapter I wanna give credit to!   
> In order of how they appear in the chapter we have: 
> 
> We Miss You [Love Theme] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lql3TE5fS-U  
> Pollyanna [I Believe in You] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBbRJoHTJAM  
> Sweet Child o' Mine [Guns n' Roses] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMfMUfgjiLg  
> Don't Be Afraid [Telltale's TWD] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW2y7svDceI
> 
> Also credit to Wilblo for giving me several ideas for this chapter! I had a lot of fun with this chapter and I appreciate the ideas!   
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Day after day passed and it felt like they kept staring at the same scenery over and over each day. A long, asphalt road ahead of them with cars and trucks scattered about. Rickety old buildings that they dared not enter, complete with smashed up windows and a menacing look about them. Trees swayed in the wind, and the only welcoming sign of life came from the breeze that occasionally drifted past. The only good thing in this whole mess was the fact that Ness and Lucas had grown somewhat closer; one would even call them friends. Turns out an apocalyptic world could make even the strangest of allies friends with enough work. After all that had happened to them so far, they were both glad to have each other. 

After raiding the hospital a little over a week ago, they were still going good on supplies, but, it never hurt to have more. They had enough food to get them to Fourside and halfway back to where Ness had originally met Lucas by his calculations. However, stopping in places that were trapped were definitely not something either of them were looking forward too. If they could find somewhere boarded up with no traps and no sign of life, they’d be in the clear. However, the long highway that sprawled out in front of them seemed to be leading nowhere. Ness even began to think sticking to the highway was all in vain, though, he didn’t want to let Lucas know that. 

Despite Ness’s willingness to keep up his tough guy facade, he had broke in front of Lucas not too long ago-- and Lucas had done the same in front of him. At the time, he had been beyond embarrassed, having not shown any sort of emotion in front of others for well over three years. But, he had to give it to Lucas, he sure knew how to make him feel human again-- and he couldn’t thank him enough for that. Likewise, Lucas had balled everything up for so long, also having to keep up a facade. Both boys were forced to grow up so fast-- neither one had the chance to be a kid after the world went dark. Both longed for those days again. To be able to run around, play ball, or just watch the clouds roll by in the blue sky-- they missed it. 

“How much longer till we get to Fourside?” Lucas asked with a whine in his tone.   
“I told you like an hour ago. We still have at least a day’s trek ahead of us.” 

Lucas narrowed his eyes in front of him as he walked. One more day until they could start searching for Claus properly. Even on the road, Lucas had been keeping an eye out for his brother, but there’s been no sign of him anywhere. Their best bet had to be Fourside-- but, there was no telling what was waiting for them there either. Lucas could only pray that this trip would be worth it. He could only hope Claus was waiting for him there in one piece. 

“I wish we didn’t have to, but, we should make a pit stop somewhere.” 

Lucas glanced over at Ness with a rather confused look. “How come? We still have lots of supplies from the hospital. What more do we need?” 

“We have enough to get us to Fourside and some of the way back, but, if we’re headed to your community after we find Claus, we don’t have enough food. Plus, I’d feel waaay safer if you had more healing things.”

Lucas nodded, unable to argue with him. He made good points, and Lucas would definitely be in the wrong to make any other claims. Plus, more food sounded nice as well. With no further arguments or complaints, Lucas followed Ness, hoping to see Fourside on the horizon soon enough. 

 

The boys had only been walking for an hour or so more when Ness noticed something coming up on the horizon. He squinted, trying to make out the silhouette in the darkness. Thankfully, their eyes had adjusted well to this new, murky world. When Ness stopped, so did Lucas. The blonde thought he saw something and immediately stiffened up, preparing to reach for his weapon. This had become a daily routine for the duo; raid, fight off hostile creatures, run, rinse and repeat. At this point, it was beginning to get a little redundant. 

“Ya see anything?” Lucas inquired, trying to follow Ness’s gaze to what it was he spotted. 

Ness stepped beside Lucas and grabbed him, motioning him to look in the same direction as him. He pointed straight ahead, hoping Lucas could see as well. 

“There in the distance-- see? Up on the hill? It looks like a big house.” 

Lucas squinted and before long could make out the shape of a large house sitting atop the hill. But, what was such a huge place like that doing all the way out in the middle of nowhere? While they were weary, it seemed the two had moved past the events that happened recently. Besides, curiosity was getting the best of them, and they needed to see this big house for themselves. They couldn’t be careless though. The duo readied their weapons as if it were instinct and made their way to the house slowly and quietly. If someone lived there, they’d have no problem gunning them down, and with no forest in sight, they’d be easy pickings. Ness couldn’t help but grow nervous the more he thought of that possible scenario in his head. He could only pray that it’d be a big empty house. God knows they needed this. 

Finally, the two made it the house, and just as Ness had originally thought, it seemed like a very expensive villa. However, unlike other houses and buildings they had seen in their travels, this one didn’t seem to be boarded up all that well. If it were being occupied now, it’d be at least a little fortified, wouldn’t it? Ness moved carefully around the front yard, eyeing the huge windows that face the inside. It almost felt like a lodge of some sort. 

“Think anybody’s in there?” Lucas asked. 

“Could be. Once we’re in, stick together and we’ll inspect the whole place before we scavenge it. Then, we’ll barricade the doors so nobody can get in.” Ness explained as he looked for the way in. Before long, they found a grand doorway which they assumed to be the front of the house. Much to Ness’s confusion, the door was locked, but no barricades or boards protected it. The doorknob easily came off with a few whacks from his bat and the house suddenly became easy pickings. 

They made their way in, being sure to stick together like glue. Once in, the house smelled of old people and dust. This definitely had to be some rich old couple’s getaway house. They checked the small rooms near the front of the house-- nothing and no one. They made their way to the kitchen-- nothing. The upstairs rooms were empty, and all that was left was the main room with the big windows facing outside. 

The two headed to the large living space and were quite excited to find an array of amazing things. Lucas’s face elated when he saw the shadow of a piano in the house. Ness was just able to make out the frame of an old phonograph nearby. One thing was certain-- whoever lived here before the world went dark was living a life of luxury-- at least by today’s standards. 

“Well, the house is empty, so that’s good for us. We’ll barricade the ways in, and luckily for us, this room is facing away from the road. We should be safe to stay here to rest up.” 

“Do, you think, uh …” 

Ness glanced back at Lucas and saw him eagerly looking at the piano and phonograph. Ness could only smile in return at the sight. 

“You wanna play the piano?”   
“... maybe.”   
“So long as we’re not too loud, I don’t see a problem with it.” 

Lucas was ready to scramble over to the piano before swiftly being reminded by Ness that they had some looting to do. The blonde looked longingly at the beautiful instrument before nodding, absolutely defeated. Soon-- he told himself-- soon. 

They sorted through the pantries and the cupboards in the kitchen, and found quite a stash of canned food. Inside some random drawers Ness also found some candles-- this was perfect! They didn’t have to waste battery life on their flashlight, and they didn’t have to waste their power using PK Flash or Fire. Ness didn’t wanna jinx things by saying it aloud, but, things were finally beginning to take a turn for the better! 

With Lucas’s help, Ness barricaded the doorways, preventing anyone from entering easily. How no one had come here before or even sought refuge here before them was beyond either of them, but neither of them were complaining in that instant. They returned to the living room and set up several candles around the room. It almost felt cozy. 

As Ness set up camp, Lucas was eager to try out the piano. He tiptoed away and found himself sitting on the dusty bench in no time at all. It felt like so long since he had seen one of these before-- it almost felt surreal. He lifted the cover, revealing the beautiful white keys to him. This piano seemed vintage, and Lucas didn’t want to touch it. Well, he almost didn’t want to touch it. Gently, he pressed the keys, hearing a heavenly melody echo through the room. Ness glanced over from his position on the ground and slowly got up to see what was up. He rested his arms on the body of the piano and watched as Lucas played the keys in a simple, but lovely melody. 

“You can play piano?” he asked with a bit of a chuckle. 

“My mom taught me how to play.” Lucas explained, a small smile overcoming his lips, “She thought it’d be nice for Claus and I to learn an instrument. We both chose piano, but, I’m a bit rusty.” 

“Do you have any songs that you remember? I’d love to hear!”   
“Well, I dunno … like I said, I’m probably pretty bad.” 

Ness hoisted himself up onto the body of the piano and lay across it, resting his hands on his belly. Had it been under different circumstances, Lucas would’ve been angry with him-- but, it was the end of the world. If the piano broke, it broke. 

“Aw, come on, Lucas,” Ness said playfully, “Play me a song!” 

Lucas hummed for a moment, trying to think of something he could play. He bit the inside of his lip as he tried to come up with ideas. However, with Ness prodding him, it became increasingly difficult to come up with anything. 

“It doesn’t even have to be anything real-- it could be a made up song.”   
“Hmm, I think I may have something. How about a lullaby my mom use to sing me?”   
“Sure! Let me hear!” 

Lucas sighed and pressed his fingertips to the keys, trying to recall the melody as best he could. The occasional off-key didn’t seem to bother Ness, or perhaps he just didn’t notice. This was a song Hinawa had come up with, so there was no way Ness could possibly know it. The melody was somber, and then, Lucas began to sing. 

_“In a distant town, as the dark grows deep,  
Unfamiliar words resound, whispered and weak,”_

From his lying position, Ness turned towards Lucas, honestly shocked at his singing voice. It was no exaggeration to say he had the voice of an angel in that moment. Instead of joking around or complimenting him, he kept quiet and listened further, enjoying the sound of the piano and Lucas’s voice. It was enough to lull him to sleep even. 

_“Let me heal the pain, drive away despair,  
Lead this child whose lost his way, help him prepare,”_

Lucas changed the melody of the keys and continued singing, now increasing in his tone. He peered up as he continued, only to catch a quick glance of Ness turning away fast. Lucas muffled a chuckle as he continued on. However, the nostalgia of singing a lullaby his mom always sang to him was beginning to play with his emotions. His chest grew tight as he continued singing. 

_“If I call, if he hears,  
He will turn towards me, free from his fears,  
Shine on one dear child, one so very small,   
One who carries on alone, strong after all,”_

Ness cocked his head towards Lucas again when he thought he heard a sob. After listening to the lyrics and listening to Lucas sing, his voice definitely did begin to falter a bit. He honestly felt a little bad asking him to sing for him now. Either way, he let him finish before saying anything. 

_“Shine on one dear child, one so very small. One who carries on alone …”_ Lucas paused for a moment, regaining himself for a moment before continuing, _“Strong after all …”_

He finished the melody and sighed, sitting back and wiping his face with his sleeve. “Ugh, sorry … I didn’t mean to get so emotional towards the end …” 

Ness shook his head and sat up again, glancing over at him. “Don’t be-- I thought it was really nice. Did Hinawa teach you to sing too? You have a really nice voice.” 

“Oh, er,” Lucas found his face growing hot at the compliment. He brushed the back of his neck as an embarrassed smile curved into his lips, “Thanks, Ness …” 

“Yeah, no problem …” Ness instinctively did the same, turning away as he swung his dangling legs off the piano. “You know, my mom also had a lullaby for me. It’s a happier one, but it doesn’t have any music-- only lyrics.” 

Lucas gave him a big smile, “Well, why don’t you sing the lyrics first, and then I can create a melody for it-- or, I can try anyway.” 

“Nah, I’m not a great singer.” Ness shrugged, “I’d probably sound like a dying bird.” 

Lucas pouted a bit and crossed his arms, jokingly, “After I poured out my heart and soul to you …” 

“Fine, fine,” Ness sighed and closed his eyes, “I gotta remember the first part …” 

Lucas waited patiently for Ness to prepare and smiled once he looked like he was ready. Lucas was also prepared to memorize the lyrics as best he could and come up with a melody for it. Hopefully he could do it off the top of his head. 

“Whenever you’re ready.” Lucas insisted. Ness nodded and readied himself. 

_“I believe the morning sun,  
Always gonna shine again and,   
I believe a pot of gold,   
Waits at every rainbow’s end, oh,  
I believe in roses kissed with dew,  
Why shouldn’t I believe the same in you?”_

Lucas smiled as Ness struggled to sing and find the right pitch. Honestly, as funny as it was, he did have a great voice as well. He was almost lost in his voice for a moment before snapping back in at the last verse. 

_“You may say I’m a fool, feelin’ the way that I do,  
You can call me pollyanna, say I’m crazy as a loon,  
I believe in silver linings and that’s why   
I believe in you,”_

When Ness finished, he turned to Lucas with a big smile on his face. 

“Well?” 

He was met with an applause from Lucas as they both laughed. Ness ended up taking a bow, as every great maestro does. 

“Thank you, thank you! I’ll be here all week~” 

“Alright, I think I have a melody for it. We can both sing this time.”   
“Oh-- alright. Yeah, sure! Wait, hold up,” 

Ness scooted off the piano and moved to be at Lucas’s side, sitting beside him on the piano bench. Lucas welcomed him with a warm smile. 

“I wanna see how you play this thing. It seems interesting.”   
“Alright, just don’t forget to sing!” 

Lucas pressed the keys for a beginning melody, and slowly made his way to the first verse. He chuckled a bit when he saw Ness bobbing his head back and forth to the song. Once they got to the part, Lucas turned to him to remind him of the part. Ness only nodded in confirmation. 

_“I believe the morning sun,”_ They turned towards each other, big smiles facing one another, _“Always gonna shine again and, I believe a pot of gold, waits at every rainbow’s end, oh”_

Lucas quieted down and let Ness finish it with confidence, _“I believe in roses kissed with dew, why shouldn’t I believe the same in you?”_

The two were completely lost in the song as they kept singing with one another. Thanks to Lucas, Ness had completely forgotten his embarrassment towards his singing voice. With the two of them singing, they both sounded great. The perfect duo! By the end of the song, they both split up the lyrics amongst each other. 

_“You may say I’m a fool, believing the way that I do,”_ Ness sang happily. 

Lucas joined in and the two sang together once again, _“You can call me Pollyanna, say I’m crazy as a loon, I believe in silver linings and that’s why I believe in you!”_

By the end, the two were a giggling, happy mess, and at that moment, all worries vanished from thin air. They didn’t think they’d get the chance to ever be kids again, so, getting the opportunity handed to them felt like a real treat. Once their laughing died down, Ness turned away from the piano and headed over to the phonograph. He was beyond curious to see what sorts of music the people who lived here before were into. 

Lucas closed the piano cover and caught up with Ness who was already sorting through the different records. He had never seen him act so delicate with anything in the time he had gotten to know him. The way he handled the records seemed as if they would fall apart at the gentlest of touches. As Ness sorted through them, Lucas watched his face fill with excitement as he found a certain one. 

“Oh! Mom always listened to this when I was a kid!”   
“You still are a kid!” Lucas joked. 

“I meant when I was like three.” he turned towards the phonograph and gently placed the record on it. He set it up and before long, music started playing from it. Ness smiled wide as the music echoed out throughout the house. The sound of a guitar riff filled the room as Ness stood up and backed away, clapping to the beat. Lucas watched and chuckled as he mimicked the guitar beat with his own air guitar motions. Lucas stood up and ultimately joined him as the two began to dance together. 

Without thinking, and without either one minding, they grabbed for each other’s hands and danced to the melody. This was the most fun either of them had had in a long time, and they couldn’t get enough of it. 

_“She’s got a smile it seems to me,  
Reminds me of childhood memories,   
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky,”_

To Lucas, who didn’t know that this type of genre of music existed, it sounded new and exciting. It was slow, yet fast, and the lyrics seemed bittersweet. All of it came together to create a great song, and he could fully understand why Ness chose this one. The two let go of their hands and began dancing along for a while, both still laughing and acting as childish as ever. 

The song continued on for a while, and after all the bouncing and dancing around, the two finally came together once again, spinning and dancing and having a ball. 

_“Oh, oh oh,  
Sweet child o’ mine,   
Oh, yeah   
Sweet love of mine,”_

Again, another long guitar solo which led to some crazy dance moves from Ness, but, neither one minded. Sweat rolled off of them as they threw themselves about, having the time of their lives. Finally, their tired bodies couldn’t keep up with them and they collapsed after long, falling to the wood floor and relaxing as they caught their breathes. 

_“Where do we go,  
Where do we go now,   
Where do we go,   
Oh, oh,   
Where do we go now,”_

The two let the song end as they lay there on the floor, relaxing from the sudden burst of energy. Once it ended, Ness sat up reluctantly, letting out a groan of achiness. 

“Well, that was fun.” 

Lucas nodded in agreement, still trying to catch his breath, “Really fun. I like that kind of music.” 

“Yeah, it’s my favorite kind of music too. Rock and roll was a big part of my life growing up.” Ness explained, taking the record out and placing it back in the sleeve. 

“Rock and roll huh …” Yup, Lucas had never heard of anything like it growing up. The whole different times theory Ness had come up with was really starting to make sense now. “I hope we find more records later on then …” 

“Maybe we can find a radio and some CDs.” Ness said happily, “When we find Claus we can go back to your community and have a party and--” 

“Ness, you’re forgetting something.”  
“Huh, what?”   
“We still need to find your friends too … I haven’t forgotten that.” 

Immediately, Ness’s happy expression went away and a somber look replaced it. “Oh … right …” 

“I hope I didn’t make you forget about them …” 

“No, they’ve always been in the back of my mind …” Ness sighed and turned towards the very comfy looking couch. “I haven’t had fun like that in ages … it felt nice to get my mind off of important things, but, I shouldn’t have forgotten about them like that …”

Lucas sat up as well but ultimately remained quiet. He could only think about how he just ruined the fun time they had, but, he perked up when he heard Ness ask him something. 

“Hey, could you play one more song on the piano?” 

“I don’t really know any more …” Lucas replied a bit dejected. 

“Make one up,” Ness replied with a smile, “I’m sure you can do it.”   
“Alright, I’ll try.” 

Again, he took his seat the bench and readied the piano to play. He thought of what kind of song he could sing. Rock and Roll wasn’t easy on a piano, if at all possible. Plus, he was new to the whole genre, so it wouldn’t be a good idea to try that. Maybe a softer song. A lullaby? Nah, he didn’t want to put Ness to sleep. As if on cue, the lyrics began to flow in his mind and he came up with something. A slow song-- a song to cheer them both up. 

“Alright, I think I got it.”   
“I’m all ears!’ 

Lucas turned back to the keys and took a breath before continuing. As he sang, his voice sounded soft, and unthreatening. It seemed almost hopeful. 

_“Nevermind the darkness, nevermind the storm,  
Nevermind the blood red moon,   
The night will be over soon,  
The night will be over soon,”_

Ness looked over at him, feeling a pang in his chest. Was this a song he had just come up with or did he know it from somewhere? Either way, Lucas’s beautiful singing voice made the lyrics seem all the more real, and for some reason, it made Ness feel sad. 

_“Brush away the sorrow,  
Bush away the tears,   
Sing away your heavy heart,   
The night will be over soon,  
The night will be over soon,”_

Even Lucas, who meant for this to be a hopeful, happy song, felt himself growing heavy hearted as he sang the words he chose. Perhaps it was just hitting too close to home for the both of them. Perhaps it was the false sense of security they were getting. Would the night really be over? When would this eternal darkness be over? The world seemed shrouded in everlasting night, but, was there any way to save this world? Despite the lyrics, it all seemed so bleak, even now. 

_“For every night goes quiet,  
And every moon grows blue,   
Beyond the dark, comes something new,   
The sun will be rising soon,   
The sun will be rising soon,”_

 

Lucas paused for a moment once again before continuing and was happy to see Ness join in at the last second. 

_“The sun will be rising soon,”_ as he played the last keys, he turned slowly to look at Ness and they both shared the same melancholic look on their face. Perhaps it wasn’t a happy song, but, even if it helped just a little, Lucas was happy. 

“Well, how was that?”   
“Beautiful.” 

Lucas felt his cheeks grow warm again at the compliment. To be honest, he wasn’t even trying. It was just a natural talent he had. Coming up with things on the fly, especially songs, was something that just came naturally to him. Again, he positioned the cover over top the keys and joined Ness on the couch. The raven haired boy scooted to one end to make room for Lucas so they both could lay down comfortably. The candles gave off a warm glow against them as they laid down, finally able to relax and get some good night’s rest. 

Lucas was surely about to drift off when he heard Ness speak up in a tiny voice. 

“Lucas …?”   
“Yeah?”   
“Are you sure you forgive me?” 

Lucas opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. He sat up immediately looking over at his friend and nodded without hesitation. “Of course I do! Where did that come from all of a sudden …?” 

“It’s been on my mind ever since we left the hospital,” Ness admitted, “I can’t stop thinking of how I would've fought Giygas differently. Maybe if we had done something differently, the world wouldn't be dark. We wouldn’t have to hope for the sun to rise again someday …” 

“Ness …” 

“Whether you forgive me or not, it is my fault, Lucas,” Ness turned away and faced the inside of the couch. “That’s just how it is … and no amount of me apologizing is ever gonna make it better …” 

Lucas sighed, “You can believe whatever you want, Ness. But, I think everything happens for a reason. Your fight with Giygas ended how it did because it was destined to happen. What happened with my mom … it was meant to happen. Claus leaving, us meeting … it was all a part of destiny.” 

Ness didn’t respond. He only tucked himself further into the couch. Lucas laid back down and nestled himself against the comfy fabric. He turned towards the giant glass windows and stared out at the swaying trees outside. 

“I promise I don’t blame you for anything. I could never hate you.” Lucas insisted, “You’ve become really important to me. You’re a great friend, and … there’s no point in being angry over something you couldn’t control. I’m not mad. I never will be.” 

Lucas felt his chest tighten when he heard Ness’s breathing heave. He hoped he didn’t make him upset. The last thing he wanted was to see him cry again. But, sometimes, a good cry is what you needed in times like these. 

“If you wanna cry, go ahead.” Lucas said softly, “I won’t mind. You might even need it.” 

Lucas looked up on the back of the couch and saw a dusty, yet warm looking blanket draped before them. He tugged it off and unfolded it, throwing it over both of them. While the candles gave off some warmth, and they were finally inside away from the elements, this would ensure they’d be warm all night. Ness happily accepted his share and tucked himself further into the couch. Eventually, Lucas was sure he could hear muffled sobs coming from Ness, and it hurt seeing him like that. 

“Don’t be sad, Ness. Everything’s going to turn out alright …”   
“How can you be so sure …?” 

Lucas froze. Honestly? He wasn’t sure. There was no guarantee that everything would go back to normal. Even if it did, and the sun came up, things would still need to return to a state of normalcy. People had returned to their primal instincts in the three years the sun had been gone. People became desperate, fearful, and dangerous. If the sun came up tomorrow, the world would still be ravished. People wouldn’t just become good again. It would take a lot of work, but, Lucas was willing to work towards that goal if it meant things would be okay again. He was much too tired to explain all that to Ness, however. 

“I just have a feeling … I actually have a theory. You know those dark creatures we’ve been fighting?’ 

“Yeah?” Ness turned to face Lucas a tad from his blanket fortress he made. 

“They’re just animals and creatures infused with darkness right? Well, what if you did defeat Giygas, but, he lives on through those things. What if he’s using his last bit of power to keep hold over the world and some of it’s creatures and people?” 

“So, you’re saying if we defeat enough of those creatures, the sun will rise again?” Ness asked, genuinely concerned. 

“Or the major source of it all. If Giygas is clinging to someone and using all of his energy on that one being, if they go down, maybe his hold on this world will vanish.” 

“That’s … quite the theory, Lucas …”   
“Well, it’s all we’ve got to go on. It makes sense … but, I don’t know what to do about it.”   
“Before anything, we’re finding your brother.” 

Lucas smiled and nodded, “And we’re finding your friends, too. Once that’s all settled, we can finally figure out how to bring the sun back.” 

Ness sighed and nestled deeper into his blanket cocoon. “Sounds good. Thanks for everything today, Lucas. I enjoyed the songs you played. It was the most fun I’ve had for a while.” 

“And thanks for showing me that record. I really liked, what was it? Rock and Roll? It’s upbeat and nice … I’d love to listen to more of it.” 

After a moment of chuckles and chit chat, the boys both yawned simultaneously, signifying it was time to sleep. Once they were well rested, they’d shove off and get to Fourside. 

“Night, Ness.”   
“See you at night, Lucas.”   
“Hey, soon you won’t be saying that anymore.”   
“I can only hope. Night …” 

And for once in the time they had spent together, they felt like they would get a good night’s rest.


	10. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Self harm in a sense. Be cautious while reading. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!  
> Next chapter should be ready soon!

Ninten woke up with an achiness erupting from every inch of his body. His eyes slowly fluttered open and he realized he was back in his room. A faint glow from the candle between his and Claus’s beds illuminated the room dimly. He turned his head weakly, feeling the burns from a day earlier sting and itch. He found Claus laying in the bed opposite his and just like him, his upper body was covered in bandages. He couldn’t get a good view, as it hurt to sit up, but it looked like Claus’s chest and neck had the most wrappings. As for what became of his missing him, he couldn’t see it from where he was laying. 

He turned away and sighed, resting his head on the pillowless bed. Weakly, he rose his arm up, looking at the wounds that had been inflicted. Compared to Claus, he hadn’t gotten the brunt of the explosion, however, he noticed his skin turning color due to the blast. His forearm was wrapped up to his elbow, and where the wrappings ended, his skin was red and blistering. Despite the pain lingering, he sat up, forcing himself through the overwhelming pain in his body. 

Ninten was about to attempt to leave his bed, but, that changed when Picky and Porky asserted themselves into the room, holding plates of food for either boy. The raven haired boy only glared back at him with an anger induced expression. He was met with Porky practically dropping the plate of food into his lap. While it smelled good, Ninten could tell it was leftovers-- and old at that. Good to know they weren’t on Fassad’s priority list. Picky on the other hand, gently set the plate at Claus’s bedside table before going to his brother’s side. 

“You need to eat and get your strength up. Fassad’s sending us all out on missions.” 

Ninten refused to eat and set the plate aside before laying down and turning away. At that moment, he just wanted them to leave him and Claus alone. He heard Porky sigh in disgust and annoyance, which only made Ninten angirer. He just wanted to rest-- he just wanted to talk to Claus without any interference. Why couldn’t they have just gotten away. Why did he have to be so gung ho about getting away that he didn’t even consider their safety? Obviously there were other ways, but … 

“Well, actually, we better hope Claus eats and gets better soon, because he’s the one going on the mission with me later today.” 

That was enough to send Ninten into a panic. He immediately sat up, ignoring the pain all over his body as he threw the blanket off of him, revealing his legs having been burned as well. “How can he go when he’s still unconscious?! I’ll go instead!” 

Porky shook his head as he turned away, a smirk on his face. “Nope, it has to be Claus. Fassad said so himself. While you were busy recovering, he took him deep into the basement and performed surgery on him-- or something like that,” he shrugged a bit, “I couldn’t bother to pay attention to the details. Either way, he should be up soon, and once he is, he’s coming with me.” 

Ninten glared at both of them, but his burning hatred was aimed more at Porky than his younger brother. Picky could feel the glare and sighed. 

“There’s intruders in our territory … Fassad wants to put Claus to the test and dispose of them,” he said quietly, “At least, that’s what I remember him saying. He must be referring to that limb enhancement.” 

Ninten’s eyes widened, “Limb enhancement?” a hopeful smile crossed his face as he looked towards his friend, “Fassad fixed his arm …?” 

“Well, it’s still gone if that’s what you’re wondering.” Porky exclaimed, butting into their conversation, “And it’s all cause’ of you, too. If you hadn’t tried to be the hero, he’d still have both his arms.” A wicked smile twisted onto Porky’s lips as he glared at Ninten from under his bangs, “Guess you didn’t care too much for his well-being so long as it meant escaping, huh?” 

Ninten, who had always grown up learning to solve problems with words, was about to throw all he had known out the window. In that instant, he wanted nothing more than to punch Porky square in the face. He had no right talking about what either of them would’ve done in that situation. It had all happened so fast, and even if Ninten had a better chance at escaping-- Claus was hurt-- he wouldn’t have just left him. 

“Pokey-- er, Porky-- that’s enough,” Picky took his brother by the sleeve and tugged him along, “Let him and Claus rest …” 

“Whatever-- it’s not like Ninten’s gonna do anything about it. He never does,” again, his wicked smile became even more apparent, “He’s too much of a pushover to do anything anyways!” 

With a howl of laughter and some snorts that followed, Porky took his leave with Picky following reluctantly behind him. He turned back, giving Ninten a saddened look before closing the door quietly behind him. Ninten sighed angrily before moving to shift off of his bed. He struggled to stand, feeling an intense and overwhelming pain wrack his body. He looked beneath his knees and saw plenty of scorch marks. If he had gotten burns this bad, then his heart ached to see what had happened to Claus. 

He found a nearby chair and pulled it towards Claus’s bed where he promptly sat, hoping he’d wake up soon. He had a lot on his mind that he needed to talk about. First things first though, Claus deserved an apology more than anything. From his sitting position next to his bed, he was finally able to get a better look at him. The faint glow from the candlelight illuminated his face in a brighter manner now. His cheeks were red underneath bandages that were meant to stop his skin from blistering further. Areas of his skin seemed charred, and that in of itself made Ninten’s heart sink into the pit of his stomach. He should’ve been the one to take the blast-- not Claus. He had already been through too much. 

It took awhile for him to stir, but when he finally began to wake up, Ninten only felt a twinge of guilt in his gut. How would he even begin? What could he say to him? What should he say to him? There were so many things on his mind, but he just couldn’t find the right things to say. When he saw Claus’s eyes flutter open, he thought his heart would stop. He had to face the music sometime soon. 

“Hey,” Ninten said quietly, watching as Claus slowly moved his gaze over to him. 

“Hey …” Claus replied, his voice still sounding quite raspy. He flinched as he tried moving his head back into place. The pain was beginning to ease away as he stared back up at the ceiling. “So, we’re back here, huh …? We didn’t make it …” 

Ninten sighed heavily as he shook his head. “No, we didn’t …” 

To Ninten’s surprise, he heard a chuckle come from the ginger. “Figures … there’s no way we could get out. It was dumb to even try …” 

“Claus …” he scooted closer and watched as Claus looked over at him, his eyes half lidded. Ninten was certain he was going to fall apart. “I’m so sorry for what happened … if I had thought rationally, you wouldn’t be in this mess …” he breathed in shakily before continuing, “We could’ve been long gone, but … I messed up …” 

“Don’t blame yourself …” Claus choked out, “We both lived and that’s what’s important …” 

“It would’ve been better if we died …” Ninten said defeated, “Then at least Fassad wouldn’t be able to keep us here anymore …” 

“Don’t say that,” Claus replied in the same tone of voice, “It’s all fine now …” 

“No, it’s not!” Ninten protested, his voice raising as he grew angrier, “I just have a feeling Fassad’s gonna get back at us for this … you especially …” 

Claus huffed in a way that sounded like a chuckle. “Right … Fassad. I must’ve been thinking about him while I was unconscious … I came to a conclusion, Ninten.” He turned towards the raven haired boy with a defeated look crossing his face, “There’s no way we can defeat Fassad. Not on our own. I’d do anything to kill him with my own to hands, but … there’s no way.” 

“What’re you saing …?” 

“I’m saying it’d be wise to join forces with him … or at least fake it for a while. There’s no way we’re getting out of here again. We’re going to be monitored after that escape attempt. Everyone’s eyes are going to be on us from now on, so … we need to play the part …” 

“Claus, no …” Ninten shook his head, absolutely repulsed by that idea, “Help Fassad? You can’t be serious! Even if we are faking it-- he killed your mom! You’re just going to give your allegiance to him like this?!” 

“We don’t have many options left, Ninten. While we’re here, we’re under his rule-- his orders. Even if we were to escape, his men would find us. They would find us, and my family and kill them too-- I just know it.” he relaxed his head on the plush bed and closed his eyes, “We need to bide our time … make him believe we’ve learned our lesson …” 

“Claus …”  
“Just trust me on this, Ninten. I’m not looking to be blown up anymore …” 

Ninten felt sick to his stomach after hearing that proclamation. Claus was growing friendlier towards him for sure, but the way he worded certain things definitely stung more than they should. He had to know it was all an honest accident … right? 

Claus looked to his right and finally noticed what had taken place while he was unconscious. Slowly, he lifted up what was left of his right arm and found a brand new metallic arm attached to his stub. If he wasn’t so tired and didn’t ache beyond belief, he would’ve had a greater reaction. He only starred on in disbelief. He took a big breath and let out a long sigh. 

“So my arm did get blown off …” Ninten didn’t reply. He only looked away as he said that. 

He tried moving his arm more, and to his surprise, it was fully functional. He could move the metallic fingers just as he could a regular hand. He balled his new hand into a fist, clenching and unclenching as he tested it out. 

“How does it feel …?” Ninten finally asked. 

“It’s heavy.” Claus replied quietly, still making motions with his new limb, “But, somehow I can move the fingers. I have full control over it. How did Fassad do this …?” 

Claus was caught off guard when he felt a sudden embrace from Ninten. He blinked in confusion as he tried to process the gesture. Then he heard him begin to cry and slowly he realized. He realized how bad he felt, and even though Claus was beyond upset over the situation, he knew he couldn’t blame Ninten forever. He craved freedom just as much as he did. It was a terrible situation. 

“I’m so, so sorry, Claus …” Ninten sobbed, holding him in a tight embrace. He was careful not to hurt him, or hold any of the bandaged areas on his body too tightly. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen …” 

“Ninten, I told you …” he wrapped his non-robotic arm around the other boy carefully, “what’s done is done …” 

“But, if I had been more careful … figured out a safer way … then we wouldn’t be covered in burns …” he tucked his head into Claus’s shoulder, heaving a bit, “and you wouldn’t have a missing arm …” 

Claus sighed a bit, wondering how things would’ve worked out if they had thought of a better escape plan. Sure, they would’ve gotten away without any injuries, but, would the punishment have been worse? There’s always a side to every coin, and Claus feared for what the other outcome may have given them. He simply held him back and closed his eyes. 

“It’s in the past … come on, stop crying.” 

After a moment, Ninten finally parted, trying to gain control of himself. He was surprised when he saw a smile overcome Claus’s face as he lifted up his new limb. It was faint, but he was smiling nonetheless. This was the first time since time he had smiled and he wasn’t brainwashed into thinking that way. In an instant, it almost made Ninten’s emotions flee. 

“Think about it … if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have a cool robot arm.” he flexed it jokingly as a big toothy grin grew on his face. “I’m like some cool cyborg now!” 

“Heh … yeah …” Was he just trying to cheer Ninten up? He could tell Claus was still upset. Nothing would ever be the same for him anymore, but, he truly did appreciate the gesture. The fact that he was trying to help him despite being hurt really did end up cheering him up quite a bit. 

“I uh, forgot to mention but, Porky said Fassad has a mission for you two …” he shrugged, “They probably want you out of bed as soon as possible …” 

Claus brought a hand to his forehead and sighed as he tried sitting up, “Figures.” 

“H-hey, don’t push yourself … you’re still hurt …”  
“I’m fine. I’m just a little achy is all. The burns should be healing soon enough.”  
“Claus …”  
“Where are my clothes? I shouldn’t keep them waiting.”  
“Ahh … over here,” 

Again, Ninten flinched as he moved out of the chair and walked over to a nearby table. They had new clothes laid out for them, almost identical to their last ones. He sat Claus’s on his bed and turned away to give him some privacy as he changed. However, with the burns and bandages encasing their entire body, it was hard move even slightly. Claus was putting up a good facade as he shrugged off the pain like it was nothing. Ninten heard him sigh heavily and nearly turned around in concern. 

“I didn’t realize how badly we had been burned …” Claus said quietly, “I have bandages everywhere …” 

“Same here …” 

Once the two were finally dressed, they looked at one another and one could barely notice they were covered in bandages-- save for the few that lingered on their cheeks and face. 

“Your face looks really red,” Ninten said as a sad expression overcame him.  
“So does yours. We’ll probably have these burns for a while.” 

They stood there in silence for a minute as Claus collected his things. Ninten hardly wanted to leave him alone with Porky. After all, what if Claus couldn’t contain his anger? He acted on impulse it seemed, and it seemed like it was hard for him to control himself. As he threw the backpack around his shoulder, Ninten grabbed his shoulder stopping him for a moment. 

“Hey, I know you’re gonna be with Porky today, but just try not to lash out at him. He’s a jerk and he deserves everything that may come at him, but, if you wanna get on Fassad’s good side, we can’t get into fights with him.” 

“I wasn’t planning on it. What’s the mission anyways?”  
“Picky said there were intruders on our property. You’re suppose to dispose of them.”  
“As in kill them?” 

Ninten shrugged and let out a sigh. Most likely it meant killing the intruders. But, what if they had no idea where they were? What if it was like when Fassad had found Claus and his family? All these thoughts buzzed around in his head before he decided to tell his ideas to Claus. 

“It could be, but, think about it in this sense. What if it’s a family-- much like you and your family. You come out of nowhere and they don’t know a thing. You’d be just like Fassad in that moment.” 

Claus glared back at him angrily. “I’m nothing like Fassad! We’re only doing this to trick him!”  
“I-I know, but, listen--” 

“Whatever. Believe what you want,” Claus marched off angrily towards the door, leaving Ninten standing there absolutely dejected. “If they don’t seem dangerous, I won’t harm them.” 

“I’m sorry …”  
“Sure.” 

And with that, Claus slammed the door rather aggressively to their room, leaving Ninten standing there alone. Could he have said anything more? Could he have said things differently? Claus was such a hard book to read-- but, that was also why he was rather charming. Without much else to think of in that moment, Ninten readied himself for whatever work he’d have to do.

* * *

“You’re late, Claus.”  
“I just got up.”  
“You should’ve been up hours ago.”  
“I was fucking blown up-- I needed the rest!”

Claus huffed angrily as he met up with Porky who already seemed to be ready. A holster was wrapped around his waist, holding a small handgun. On his back was also a machete. Somehow, Claus was wondering if Porky had any idea on how to use any of these weapons. Did Fassad give them to him? Porky always seemed like a kiss-ass to Fassad-- so maybe he got all of the cool, new toys. Either way, Claus’s eyes gleamed with intrigue when Porky handed him a sword. 

“Is that for me?” Claus asked, genuinely excited.  
“Fassad had it hand crafted for you. He said you can channel your PSI abilities through it.” 

Claus took the sword from him-- it was a wonderful gold color. However, as soon as it touched Claus’s hands, the sharp, golden end began to glow quite brightly. Why would Fassad go through all the trouble to make something like this for him? Then he recalled to the other night when he and Ninten were making their escape. He confessed everything to him-- about how Fassad wanted Ninten to work alongside him and bring out Claus’s PSI capabilities. It was all starting to make sense. 

To test the waters with his new weapon, he rose it towards the ceiling and focused on channeling his PSI into the sword. After a moment of wondering how to get it to work, a few small zaps of lightning beamed from the tip of it. Despite knowing he was just being used for his powers, a big smile grew on Claus’s face. This was a cool weapon!

“Now that playtime is over, let’s get going. We don’t want those intruders closing in on the compound!” 

Playtime! Claus thought to himself. As if he’d play with a weapon like this. It was a huge responsibility in his eyes, and he was determined to make the most out of this. Porky gave him a scabbard for the sword which Claus promptly put around his body. Once they were ready, the two headed off into the dark world once again. Their target was the intruders not too far off from the city of Fourside. They were to find them, and eliminate them. However, in the back of his mind, Claus was going to heed Ninten’s words. If they didn’t seem like trouble, he’d let them go. He only hoped Porky wouldn’t get the last say in that-- or worse, tell Fassad.

* * *

Ness sprawled out the map in front of them as Lucas shined the flashlight on top of it. The raven haired boy glided his fingers across the paper, following a road that lead to a star. He put his fingertip at the star and smiled widely. 

“Fourside is just a few miles out! We should be there really soon!”  
“And then we can start looking for Claus!”  
“Exactly! But, we don’t know what awaits us in Fourside. We need to be on a guard big time.”  
“Yeah … we need to look after one another. Especially in a place like this.” 

Ness folded the map up and promptly put it in his backpack. It was finally time to start looking for Lucas’s brother! If he was still alive, all their hopes rode on him being in Fourside. It was no understatement to say they practically ran down the road to Fourside! Claus had to be somewhere there-- it was just a matter of finding him! With their heads held high and their thoughts filled with endless possibilities, they took charge and bolted for the city! 

They kept up a steady pace until the road seemed to fork up ahead. Earlier when they had been reading the map, it seemed as if it was just a straight shot to Fourside, bu now they were met with two different options ahead of them. No matter how they looked at it though, they’d still be heading south-- straight to Fourside. Lucas glanced over at Ness and rose a brow. 

“Which way should we go?”  
“I’m not sure-- the map didn’t say anything about a fork in the road.” 

“Should we just do eenie meenie miney mo?” Lucas asked with a nervous chuckle.  
“Either way, both roads head south, so, no matter what we’ll end up in or near the city.” 

After a brief guessing game to decide their plan, they eventually went with the left path, hoping it’d bring them closer to the city than the other path. They could only hope they made the right decision. They continued on with a high spirit, knowing somewhere in this destroyed world both Claus and Ness’s friends awaited them. 

However, the more they carried on down this path, the more Ness began glaring at the treeline. A foreboding feeling of being watched pierced his very being. Lucas however didn’t seem like he noticed this strange sensation. Perhaps he was just too taken over by the idea of finding his brother soon-- not that Ness could blame him. While Lucas pushed on further, Ness took the opportunity to assess the situation. 

“Don’t go ahead too far.” Ness called out.  
“Why? Is something the matter?” 

Lucas rushed back to him with a confused look on his face. “Ness?” 

Ness peered around and brought a finger to his own lips, signifying Lucas to keep his voice down. The blonde suddenly tensed up and followed Ness’s gaze to the treeline. Had he sensed something? Were they going to get jumped? Not now-- not when they were so close to Fourside! Lucas was taken aback when Ness grabbed his wrist and tugged him along. 

“We need to move quickly, but don’t run. We should be fine if we--” 

Suddenly, there was a terrible hissing from beyond the treeline. Both boy’s turned towards the noise and in an instant, a ball of psychic energy was unleashed at them. In a last ditch effort to save his awestruck friend, Lucas dove at him and they both fell to the ground. 

“Are you okay?” Lucas asked before sitting up.  
“I’m fine-- but--” 

The boys stared in horror as two people approached them from the darkness. There was no point in running now. The only option was to stand and fight! They both hurried to their feet, unsheathing their weapons. It was unsettling to know that whoever attacked them could use PSI moves, but-- they would have to deal with it head on! 

Just as they were about to run in head first, and maybe throw in some of their own psychic attacks, the two of them suddenly felt increasingly tense. Their bodies felt heavy and they couldn’t move. A glowing purple aura encased them and a feeling of being suffocated enshrouded them entirely. In an instant, it felt like all of their powers were being drained from their body. Lucas struggled to talk. 

“Wh-what … are they doing …?”  
“PSI Magnet …” Ness choked out. “They’re draining our power …” 

After a moment, the two were dropped to the ground. The aura around them disappeared and they felt completely weakened. Whoever attacked knew they had PSI abilities-- or perhaps they were just taking precautions. Nonetheless, they were completely drained of all their power and at the worst possible time too! They watched in horror as the two silhouettes grew closer until finally, they could make out a face from the glow on the sword one of them wielded. 

It was Lucas’s brother-- Claus. Next to him stood Ness’s old friend Porky. 

Lucas’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Claus …?” 

“So it was you.” Claus said quietly. “I had a feeling, but I really didn’t want to believe it.” 

“You know him, Claus?” Porky said with a smirk.  
“He’s my brother.” 

Ness glanced over at Porky absolutely speechless. He was able to get away from Giygas? He was still alive? All this time he had thought he died. As much wrong as Porky had done in the time Ness knew him, he was glad to see he survived. At least, for a moment he was. 

“Brother or not-- you know what our orders were. They’re to be eliminated.” 

Lucas shot a glance at the chubbier kid, absolutely taken aback by that statement. Eliminated? But, why?! He turned to Ness who only starred on in the same confused astonishment. In an attempt to reach out to his brother, Lucas sat up and gave him a smile. 

“Claus … I’ve been searching for you for so long …” 

Claus’s eyes fell half lidded and his sword began shaking. He was beginning to get through to him. He sighed and continued talking. 

“Dad’s worried about you. Grandpa, Fuel, Tessie, Duster, Kumatora … we all miss you.” Lucas felt tears welling up, but kept on smiling. “I was so scared you were dead … but you’re okay …” 

“Aww, how sentimental-- I think I may cry.” Porky even sniffled a fake sob to show unenthusiastic he was about the whole situation. “Claus, get rid of them.” 

“Pokey! What happened to you! I thought Giygas swallowed you up like the rest of us!”  
“Giygas …” Porky chuckled, “When the going got rough, I got out of there.”  
“You abandoned all of us there!” 

Porky smiled his usual wicked smile and shrugged, “I was never on your side-- don’t you remember?” 

“I always thought you had some good left in you … but, you’re just going to have us killed?! We used to be friends!” Ness stood up, wobbly still from the effects of PSI Magnet. “Did that mean nothing!?” 

“We did used to be friends, didn’t we?” he crossed his arms and gave Ness a smug look. “But, you never let me hang out with you. You were going on a grand adventure and you didn’t let me tag along!” 

Ness raised a brow at him, absolutely disgusted with his childish behavior. “That’s what you’re worried about now!? The world is fucking on the brink of destruction and you’re still upset over that?! I didn’t ask to be chosen to take out Giygas, Pokey! I was just a kid! I didn’t know what I was doing!” 

“Actually, it’s Porky now. Also, if you think you actually stood a chance against Giygas, you’re poorly mistaken. Don’t try to act like some hero that you’re not.” he took a step towards Ness who only glared back angrily. “Your friends-- Paula, Jeff, Poo-- they’re all dead now because of your mistakes. Because you couldn’t take out Giygas properly, the world turned to this and everyone you ever loved is gone!” 

In a fit of anger, Ness attacked Porky full force, tackling him to the ground. As those two tussled on the ground, Lucas only glanced up at his brother in agony. How did it have to come to this? 

“Claus, please … come back with us …” 

Both brothers were taken off guard when a gunshot was heard just a few feet away. Ness fell backwards as he grabbed hold of his side as he flinched at the sudden onset of pain. Porky held his the pistol in his hand, scrambling to get away. He had shot him! 

“Ness!!” Without a care for his brother anymore, he rushed for his friend. 

“Ugh, this is stupid,” Porky said angrily, “Get rid of them Claus! Now! You don’t feel anything more towards your brother, right? You know what happens if you do!” 

Both Ness and Lucas turned their glances to Claus who starred back at them for a moment. Finally, he closed his eyes and shook his head. 

“They mean nothing to me.” 

Tears fell from Lucas’s eyes as he heard those words. Months of searching for Claus ended fruitlessly. This is what he had to tell him? His expression was stone cold and emotionless. 

“Claus … no …” he looked down at the ground, unable to say anymore. In that moment, he was met with disbelief and a look of horror. What had happened to Claus in the few years he had been gone? He felt Ness use him to sit up, still golding his fresh wound on his side. 

“How could you say that!?” he croaked out, demanding an answer, “Lucas has been searching nonstop for you and this is what you tell him!? You’re ungrateful!!” 

Porky smiled and he put the gun back in the holster, “That’s right-- how could you say that to your brother? Don’t you love him? Don’t you miss him? You tried to escape the other day-- what’s keeping you from doing so now?” 

Claus hesitated for a moment before pointing his sword at Ness and Lucas once more. His expression never shifted and Lucas dared not look back at him. He only sat there, as Ness’s words fell on deaf ears. 

“They’re trying to fill my head with lies. Fourside is where I belong now. They can’t be trusted.” 

“I’m glad to hear that. If what you say is true, then you won’t have a problem killing them. Chase them-- let them be like wild animals! Charge after your prey!” 

The anger Ness felt towards his old friend was beyond unfathomable. What he had turned Claus into was unforgivable and upsetting for everyone. When Claus began approaching them, Ness stood up on his feet, despite the agonizing pain from the gunshot. He forced Lucas to his feet the two took off into the woods. 

“Take that, old best friend!!” Porky howled with laughter, throwing in some snorts as he did. 

The boys were running so fast they had no chance of hearing Porky’s laughs, or what was happening behind them. Ness simply took hold of Lucas’s hand and they barreled through the trees as fast as they could! Ness could hear Lucas sniveling behind him, and quite frankly, he couldn’t blame him. He was furious. 

Ness was brought back to reality when Lucas’s hand slipped and he heard the boy fall behind him. He turned to see he had tripped and he struggled to kneel beside him. 

“Come on,” he said encouragingly, “We have to run!” 

“What’s the point …” Lucas sobbed, “My family’s never gonna be back together again …” 

“Hey … we’ll figure it out, okay?” he placed a hand on Lucas’s shoulder, “But, right now, we have to run …” 

“Lucas.” 

Ness and Lucas felt their stomachs churn when they hard Claus’s voice behind them. Despite the pain, Ness immediately jumped in front of Lucas, attempting to throw up a PK shield. It was a weak one at that since their powers had been drained. 

“There’s no need for that.” Clas said, sheathing his weapon. “I’m not going to hurt either of you.” 

“Then why’d you say all that …?” Lucas asked, glancing over at him with shining eyes. 

“I had to make it believable.” he walked towards Lucas and Ness and knelt down beside them. “Let me look at your wound.” 

Ness shook his head fast and fell backwards in an attempt to scramble away, “No! Get away from us!” 

“It’s fine if you don’t trust me. I don’t deserve to be trusted. But, you can’t be walking around with that wound. It’ll get infected before long.” 

Ness looked between him and Lucas anxiously, before finally settling on his friend. 

“Ness, let him heal you …”  
“But, Lucas, he--” he turned back his attention to the ginger before grumbling angrily, “Fine.” 

Claus approached him carefully, hoping not to scare him and lifted his shirt, seeing where the bullet had grazed his skin. Despite Porky being at close range, he really didn’t know how to use a weapon. Thank god for that. From Claus’s hand, a green aura hovered over Ness’s wound and began healing it. 

“Wait, what about Porky?!” Ness suddenly realized, “If he finds out you’re helping us--”  
“Don’t worry about him. I put him to sleep. He’ll be out for a while.” 

Once Ness’s wound began healing, Claus stood up and backed away. Both boys sighed in relief when the skin finally seemed to be healing properly. Lucas helped Ness stand up and they both smiled at Claus. So, there really was some good left in him. 

“So, does this mean you’ll come back with us …?” Lucas asked. 

“No … I can’t. If I left, they’d find me, and I’m afraid of what they’d do to you, Lucas. They have no restraints. It’s the man who killed mom.” 

Lucas’s eyes widened and his mouth fell agape. “What …? You actually found him …?” 

Claus nodded, “Yeah. I didn’t realize it at first, but, when I did-- he brainwashed me. I was only snapped out of it because of a friend I made here. He wants out just as much as I do … But, we can’t leave …” 

“But you’re strong! You can fight back!” Lucas exclaimed, “Please … I just want our family to be together again …” 

“And I want you and dad alive! You don’t want your new friend here to be dead either right? Because if I do leave, then that’s exactly what Fassad’s going to do! We need to think about this strategically, and right now isn’t the best time to take action.” Claus sighed heavily, “I need you two to leave and never come back here. If things work out, maybe I can escape sometime … just not now.” 

Lucas closed his eyes tightly and shook his head, “No …” 

“You’ll be fine, Lucas. You have, Ness was it? You have him and everyone else back at camp.” he placed a hand on Lucas’s shoulder for reassurance, “Okay?” 

Overcome with emotion, Lucas finally leapt at Claus, embracing him in a hug. Claus had no objections and returned the hug tightly. He felt his chest tightening with sadness. 

“I love you,” Lucas choked out. 

“I love you too. Both you and dad … very much …” 

Lucas breathed shakily, and somewhere on the new clothes, he remembered Claus’s scent. It smelled like home. The two finally parted and Claus looked back in the direction of Porky. 

“He does expect me to kill you though. We’ll need to make up a lie.” he turned to Ness and narrowed his eyes, “I can say Ness got away with a bad wound, but, so long as I make it look like I got you …” 

Claus grabbed the base of Lucas’s striped shirt, tearing off a small chunk. Lucas watched on, wondering what in the world he was doing. 

“Oh, I get it.” Ness finally realized, “You’re going to make it seem like all that was left was part of his shirt.” 

“Exactly. Do either of you have a knife?” 

“Why?” Lucas was a bit reluctant to giving him his dagger, but did so without question. Claus took the knife in his non robotic hand and clenched the blade hard. He flinched as it pierced his skin and blood began dripping. 

“What’re you doing!?” Lucas asked concerned. “Stop!” 

“He’s making it look believable …” Ness added. 

“But, you shouldn’t hurt yourself like that …”  
“And there’s no way I’m hurting you to make it look real.” 

Claus wiped the blade on the cloth, followed by his wound on his hand. By the end, the scrap from Lucas’s shirt was covered in blood. It really did look like that was all the remained of him. “See? It’s foolproof. Especially when I show it to Porky.” 

“But your hand …”  
“I’ll be fine. I’m always fine!” 

He turned to both of them with a saddened smile. “Look after Lucas, won’t you?” 

Ness chuckled a bit, “Actually, he’s been the one looking out for me in all honesty.” 

Claus looked over at his brother with a proud look overcoming him. “Really? That’s awesome to hear. I’m so happy you overcame your fears, Lucas. See how strong you can be?” 

Lucas forced a smile, even if he did feel like breaking down on the spot. This whole situation wasn’t fair at all. He just wanted his brother back. 

“You’ll give my regards to dad right?”  
“Of course …” Lucas nodded to further emphasize he would. 

“Listen, this isn’t the end. We’ll see each other again sometime.” Suddenly, an idea came to him, “How about this? You guys can’t ever be around this area. There’s too many of Fassad’s people scavenging and hunting. But, there’s a ravine that’s not too far from here and it’s pretty barren from what my friend and I have found out. If you need to see me, or need any supplies-- let's meet there every fifth day from now. I’ll be there for 20 minutes at midnight after everyone’s gone to sleep.” 

Lucas and Ness agreed to this plan. It was definitely a way to see Claus again. However, for now, heading back to Lucas’s community was a must. Again, Lucas and Claus hugged,saying their final farewells to one another. 

“I promise-- I’ll be out of here in no time. Now just isn’t the time.”  
“Keep your promise!” 

And with that, Ness and Lucas took off to the north, heading towards that ravine Claus had described. Claus took his leave and grabbed Porky before heading back. When he finally came to, he showed him the bloodied up piece of Lucas’s shirt. It seemed like he bought it and the two headed back. They had successfully gotten rid of the intruders, but Claus felt empty inside. Heartbroken. Without a moment to waste, he returned back to the compound.

* * *

Ninten was finally able to return to his room for some well deserved rest. He had been doing manual labor around the compound and helping out wherever he could. Trying to win Fassad’s trust wasn’t going to be easy. It felt downright impossible at times. Nonetheless, they had to make it work. 

His thoughts were shattered when he heard the door open and saw Claus walk in. He threw his scabbard and backpack to the ground and walked towards his bed, flopping onto it face first. Ninten didn’t want to ask what had happened, or what he did to the intruders-- out of fear that it was something back. Judging from how he looked right now, it couldn’t be good. 

“The intruders were my brother and his friend …” Claus finally said quietly. 

“What?!” Ninten leapt out of bed and quickly darted over to Claus. He gave his friend a big smile-- bigger than any smile he had shown him, “Seriously?! Claus that’s awesome!” 

“I suppose …” Claus shrugged and continued hiding his face from Ninten. “I had to send them away. I wanted to go with them so badly …” 

Ninten gave him a sad smile as he sat on the edge of Claus’s bed. “You should’ve. You would’ve gotten away from this place.” 

“Fassad would’ve come after me … and if he did anything to you, I couldn’t forgive myself. You want out just as much as I do, right?” 

“I would’ve figured out something.” Ninten insisted. “I would’ve been happy if you made it out.” At that moment, Claus shifted and he noticed a huge gash on his friend's hand, "Claus, what happened to your hand ...?"

Claus buried his face deeper into the bed. “Did I make a bad decision …?” finally he turned up at Ninten with his face red and tears threatening to fall, “Should I have gone? I couldn’t leave you!” 

Ninten was taken aback by the sudden emotional Claus in front of him. He never acted like this. If he cried it was because of pain or anger-- never something like this. Carefully, he reached forward and pulled him into a hug. Claus blinked back tears for a moment before uncontrollably sobbing into his friend’s shoulder, holding him back tighter than ever. 

“We’ll get through this, Claus.” Ninten lied, “You’ll see them again-- and we’ll finally be out of this nightmare soon …” 

In between his sobs and hiccups, Ninten managed to hear him talk. “I just want to see my dad …” 

He felt his heart snap in half as his friend fell apart in front of him. All he could hope to was soothe him somehow. He rubbed circles on his back, shushing him and trying to get him to calm down. He only cried harder, not even caring how loud he was being. 

“Oh, Claus … it’s going to be alright …” he rested his head on Claus’s shoulder and sighed, “Don’t cry …” 

“I wanted to leave …” Claus confessed, “I wanted to leave so badly. But, I couldn’t leave you. You’re the only one who gets it anymore …”

Ninten felt his face grow warm as he hugged him back, slightly rocking back and forth to calm him down. All this time, he thought Claus didn’t care for him at all. He was sure if he was given the chance, Claus would up and leave him. As selfish as it sounded, he was glad he didn’t abandon him here. He was glad they were friends in the end-- even during shitty circumstances such as these. 

“We’ll leave together when the time comes. We just need to find the right time.” when he felt Claus’s tremors finally easing up, he parted from the hug and looked at him. He look absolutely pitiful. “Don’t be sad anymore … okay? I’m here-- and we’ll get through this together.” 

Claus let out a shaky sob as an agreement and lowered his head against Ninten’s chest. Ninten replied by resting his chin atop Claus’s head. After countless words of encouragement, Ninten finally returned to his own bed, but not before helping Claus with the wound on his palm. He blew out the candle and the two turned in for a well deserved rest. And for once, Ninten felt like he could trust Claus with his life.

* * *

“So you’re telling me you think it was a set up?”  
“I do. I went back out and checked the area, but I didn’t find their bodies.”  
“You don’t suppose they were blown up?”  
“It was his brother, Fassad sir. He would’ve had a worse reaction than how he looked.”  
“What are you proposing then?”  
“They faked it-- all three of them. Something is definitely up.” 

Fassad sighed angrily and brought a hand to the afflicted area on his forehead. Claus was getting crafty-- and to think he was actually proud of him. Not anymore. He glared back at Porky who took a stiff salute to the one in charge. 

“If what you claim is true, we can’t let them get away. Send out men immediately and take the intruders out!” Fassad commanded. With a nod, Porky ran off to rally the fighters. Once he was gone, Fassad took measures into his own hands-- literally. 

It didn’t take him long to come to Ninten and Claus room. They were both sleeping like logs, which means his plan would work perfectly. The door opened with a creak, but they still did not stir. Quietly, he moved towards the ginger’s bed and in a sift movement, he pressed a rag to his face. Claus woke up and immediately started squirming to break free. It didn’t matter however, because his muffled screams ended as quickly as they started. Whatever was in the rag made him fall unconscious and limp. 

Fassad glanced over to make sure Ninten was still asleep-- and everything was going according to plan when he was. He picked Claus up in his arms and took him away. His plans for creating the ultimate weapon were finally being set in motion.


	11. Hinawa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooooah two chapters in one night??? I can't believe it either : o  
> I feel like I'm gonna be very busy with finding a new job soon, so think of this as an extra treat.  
> I'll try to get writing new chapters whenever I can, but I hope you enjoy this for now!

“I still can’t believe we found Claus! I can’t believe he’s alive!” 

That was all Lucas had been saying for the past few hours. It was as if his entire mood had shifted from sad to hopefully in no time at all. It was horrible that Claus couldn’t come back with them, sure, but just knowing he was alive was good enough for Lucas. 

Ness however, was beginning to grow irritated. He couldn’t forgive Claus as easily as Lucas could. While it was fantastic that they had been spared and Claus actually never intended any harm on them, the fact that he said all of that to them still stung. 

Lucas turned towards Ness with a relieved smile as they walked through the dark forest. “Isn’t this great, Ness? Oh, I’m so relieved …” 

“Yeah, just perfect …” Ness mumbled under his breath. Lucas had heard his grumbles and turned back towards him with a raised brow. 

“What’s wrong?” No response from him. “Ness?” 

“Nothing. Let’s keep moving.” Ness pushed past Lucas, narrowing his eyes forward and ignoring the blonde’s calls to him. 

“Dude,” Lucas reached for his friend’s arm only for the other to shrug away. Lucas was baffled by his strange behavior. What had caused it? “Come on, talk to me!” 

Ness stopped and brought both hands to his face and grumbled angrily into them. “Oh my god, just shut up for two seconds, Lucas!” Ness said in a raised voice. Finally, all the stress was starting to get to him. After the threat of being killed, and all the emotional turmoil, built up frustration was just waiting to burst out. “I don’t need to talk every second of every day! Give it a rest!” 

Taken aback, Lucas retracted his hand, tucking them into his pockets. “I-I just wanted to help …” 

“I don’t always need your help. Just drop it for once.”  
“Okay …” 

The two carried on towards the ravine Claus had mentioned just to get a look at it. They had carried on as quiet as ever. Lucas felt like he just needed to give Ness his space in the moment. Ness however, felt an unrelenting anger building up inside of him. Was he mad at Lucas? Claus? Porky? All three? He couldn’t be sure in that moment-- but all he knew was he was furious for some reason. He desperately wanted to find that reason. 

Without thinking, Lucas spoke up. “Did I do something to make you mad …?” 

All that came from Ness was an angry huff. In a fit of anger, he threw his bat to the ground and turned towards Lucas with a seriously pissed off look on his face. 

“S-sorry, I’ll be--” 

“You wanna know why I’m so mad? Maybe it’s because your brother almost tried killing us and now you’re trying to forgive him! He’s teamed up with Porky and the guy who killed your mom, Lucas!” he threw his hands into the air, “Stop giving everyone you know so many second chances when they don’t deserve them! It drives me insane! I bet you’d give the man who killed Hinawa another chance too!” 

Lucas narrowed his eyes, honestly offended by Ness’s callout. “He’s my brother! Of course I’m going to give him a second chance! And it was all apart of a rouse to keep the other kid quiet! He didn’t want to hurt us, and you know it!” 

“Oh, yeah, because draining all of our power and coming at us with a glowing sword isn’t threatening in the slightest, right? If I hadn’t been with you, my ass would’ve been dead!” he turned towards the direction they were following, “For all we know, Claus could be leading us straight into a trap! We’ll be at this ravine and someone will kick us in or something!” 

“Would you stop acting like this?!” Lucas exclaimed, “Imagine if it had been your sister or someone--” 

Ness chuckled and turned to Lucas with a smirk on his face, “My sister isn’t anywhere to be found, Lucas! For all I know, Tracy and my parents could be dead, and I’ll never know! At least you got to see your mom before she died-- I haven’t seen my dad in four years! At least you got to see Claus!” 

Lucas went quiet and turned away, scrunching up his face into a twisted form. Anger was beginning to boil up inside of him too. 

“Oh, Ness, I can’t believe we found Claus! This is so amazing!” Ness mocked, “Yeah, just shut up.” he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “It’s getting fucking old.” 

Lucas felt his heart sink. Was he truly annoying to Ness? After the last couple of days, he thought they were on good terms. He’d even call them best friends. They had had such a great time at the villa and seemed like genuine friends-- so why now? Lucas could only figure it to be stress, but, it still hurt either way. 

“I’m sorry …” 

“You’re always sorry. What’s new?” 

Lucas looked at him completely dumbfounded by this newfound attitude of his. Where the hell did it come from? He gestured his hands in confusion, wishing he knew how to solve it. 

“What else do you want me to say?!” Lucas asked angrily, “I’m sorry we haven’t found your friends yet! I’m sorry nothing is going the way it should be! I’m just trying my best to help us get through this!” 

Ness didn’t reply and only turned away, trying to gather his thoughts. 

“Damn it, Ness, say something!” 

“What do you want me to say? It’s okay, Lucas? We’re going to be fine, Lucas? Don’t worry about anything, because everything’s fine? Well, news flash-- it’s not!” Ness exclaimed, stomping his foot down hard, “Claus is never coming back! He’s found new people and obviously wants to be with them more!” 

“He didn’t have a choice!” Lucas yelled back, “He said they would’ve killed us! What’s your problem!?” 

“My problem?!” Ness exclaimed, “You’re the one who's been getting me into all these terrible situations!” 

Lucas huffed angrily, starting to shake. “Why are you being such a dick …?” 

“Are you kidding me?” He went quiet for a moment to regain himself. He pinched the bridge between his nose and sighed. “Ever since we started travelling together, you’ve been nothing but a nuisance. We were nearly robbed and raped because I went with you, you made me tell you the one thing I hate about myself, we’ve nearly been killed so many times--” he glared at Lucas with piercing eyes. “None of this would’ve happened if I had stayed on my own.” 

He looked away from Lucas sighing heavily, “Always putting your nose into my business, acting like you know everything about everyone, thinking everything is going to be just fine … well, I’m sick of it. It’s annoying. I’m better off without you.” 

All of a sudden, anger was replaced with fear and sadness as Lucas felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He shook his head in disbelief, “You don’t mean that … we’re better of together …” 

“I do mean it.” Ness bent down and picked up his bat before throwing it over his shoulder. He glared back at Lucas, this time with sympathetic eyes. “I think it’s best if we part ways. You should go home. Claus isn’t coming back. And I need to find my friends and family-- you’re only holding me back.” 

Lucas shook his head, “I promised I’d help you find them, and I intend of keeping that promise. We will find them! But,” he sighed shakily, “Don’t go, Ness … I’ve only made it this far because of you … you made me stronger. I can’t explain it, but …we make a great team! So please!” 

“That’s just not how I saw it. Just drop it, Lucas. This is for the best.” he turned away from him and sheathed his bat finally. “You should get out of here. Who knows if Claus’s people are out patrolling the area.” 

Defeated, Lucas nodded. “Where will you go …?” 

“Who knows? Maybe back to Onett. Maybe they’re back there.”  
“There’s nothing I can do to change your mind …?”  
“Nothing.” 

And with that, Ness took off into the darkness, leaving Lucas to fend for himself, and also leaving him a heartbroken mess. Once Ness finally disappeared out of sight, Lucas sat down at the base of a tree and tried his best to hold back his sobs. He knew he needed to heed Ness’s advice and head home. It wasn’t worth the risk to stay in one place for too long. As much as he wanted to believe he was a stronger person-- now he had no drive for that strength. 

But, more importantly, his heart ached with a terrible tightness that wouldn’t go away. He knew Ness would leave someday, but he figured it’d be on better terms-- and he didn’t feel like it’d hurt this bad. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to break down and cry. He couldn’t stop thinking about him. He just wanted to find him, give him a hug, and apologize for everything-- even if it hadn’t been his fault. He recalled Ness’s questions he had asked him the first time they met. Ness asked him what his drive was, and at the time he couldn’t figure it out. His brother, maybe, but now? 

It was Ness. Ness was his drive. 

Ness made him stronger-- made him a better person. As much as he wanted to prove he could be strong on his own, and he knew he was, something felt empty inside of him now. However, emptiness and sadness wasn’t all he was feeling. Somewhere deep inside his beating heart, he could feel something arising. Hidden feelings for Ness. Was it possible he actually thought of him that way? 

“No!!” Lucas said audibly, burying his fists into his forehead, “No, no, no!! Don’t think like that …!” Tears finally began to fall as he realized his true feelings had come forth. He didn’t know when he started feeling this way, or if it had been all along-- but in that instant, he needed to make things better between the two of them. It was a fight that could easily be resolved. 

His face grew hot with embarrassment the more he realized his true feelings. Of course it had to be with the boy who just screamed at him-- the boy who practically hated him. Way to pick em, Lucas. But, the more he thought about every possible situation, the more he shuddered at the idea of Ness dying out here alone. At least, if something happened and they were together, they’d each have a friend to rely on. Ness would be furious if he came to find him, but … 

He didn’t know it yet, but Ness needed Lucas as much as Lucas needed him. They faced this world head on, and he knew they could figure everything out. Lucas stood up and unsheathed his weapon, ready to face the world and find his friend. He turned heel to his community and chased after the boy he had come to known as his travelling partner. He couldn’t have gotten far!

* * *

Ness walked with a hop in his step. He wanted to put as much distance between him and this place as far as possible. Once he was through Fourside, it was a straight shot back to Onett. His thoughts were fixed on finding his own friends and family now. They had found Claus, but, Claus didn’t want anything to do with them. He had helped Lucas, and now his mission with him was complete. So … why did he feel so bad about everything that had unfolded? Why did his heart throb every time he thought about how sad Lucas looked? Just get out of his mind! 

Suddenly, he thought his head his name. It was very faint, but, also sounded close by. His immediate thoughts went to Lucas, but, it didn’t sound like Lucas-- or anyone he knew for that matter. In a panic, he grabbed hold of his bat, ready to lash out at anyone that made a move on him. He was still in enemy territory, and Claus could have easily passed on Ness’s info and name to his people. He had killed with this bat before, and he wasn’t afraid to kill again. 

Again, he heard his name. It was a woman’s voice. It sounded faint and gentle, but, it didn’t throw Ness off of his guard. Then, suddenly something began materializing right in front of him. It was enough to make him jump back in fright. Was this another PSI trick perhaps? His eyes widened in horror as the ghostly appearance of a woman appeared right in front of him. The woman appeared to be wearing a red dress with long, brown hair. Completely freaked out by this hallucination, Ness started attacking with his bat. Thrusts downwards were the strongest and most damaging, but he couldn’t reach up past the woman’s head. He tried swinging from side to side, but nothing seemed to be hurting her! There was no way she was a real ghost! He was taken aback when he realized it was this ghostly woman talking to him! 

“Are you Ness …?” even standing in front of him, her voice sounded faded, as if she really wasn’t there with him. Ness only narrowed his eyes at her, appearing quite standoffish. 

“Please, honey, I am not your enemy …” she gave Ness a gentle smile, “Do you know who I am …?” 

Ness’s eyes stayed on the woman, but, in truth? He was beyond terrified. Was he supposed to know who she was? Was he supposed to talk back to her? It sounded so outlandish and strange, but, to be fair-- in his nearly sixteen years of life, he had seen plenty of crazy things. He tried sounding brave as he spoke, but his words came out with a crack in his voice, “No.” 

Her expression grew sad, “That’s to be expected … after all, how could you know me? We’ve never even met … But, I have seen you countless times … and my son has really grown fond of you.” 

Ness rose a brow at the woman and lowered his bat. Genuine confusion overcame him. “Son …? Wait, but that means …” his eyes became saddened and his voice turned into a pained whisper, “Are you Hinawa …?” 

The ghost nodded her head. “I am. It was three years ago that I died, but, I never stopped watching over my boys and loved ones.” she folded her hands in front of her, “Lucas was lucky enough to find a friend like you in these dark times. But, Claus … he’s gone to a very dark place …” 

Ness turned away, honestly feeling horrible for how he talked about Lucas’s brother. His grip on his bat loosened and he felt downright awful in the moment. 

“You mustn’t be mad with Claus … they’ve both been through a lot, and Claus just had a different way of grieving …” her smile returned, “He has a good heart … he never meant any ill will towards either of you …” 

Ness remained quiet, not answering her at all. 

“Ness, dear, can you please go back to Lucas? I know you want to find your friends an family, but … being on your own isn’t a smart choice.” she shook her head, “No, you’re both better off together. Your chances of survival are greater … you understand, don’t you?” 

Ness only shrugged in response. 

She walked close to him and wrapped him in a loving embrace. Although she was a ghost, Ness could still feel warmth radiating from her. His chest heaved and he felt like crying. How could such a kind woman be killed so mercilessly? 

He dropped his bat to the ground and returned her hug, sobbing uncontrollably into her ghostly figure. It was as if she was there and everything. It was like he could feel her, despite the fact that she was a spirit. 

Hinawa chuckled quietly, “Oh, dear, what’s the matter …? Don’t cry …” 

“I’m so sorry …” Ness choked out, “I’m sorry …” 

She only brushed a hand over the top of his hat and held him close. Poor dear. 

“I’m sorry for what I said to Lucas …” he hiccuped, “I’m just so sad and angry … I just want to find my parents and friends …” his hands slipped down from her back and he cried even harder, struggling to stop, “I miss them so much …” 

“You’ll find them, Ness … I know you will,” she felt him heave and hiccup as he cried even harder, “Oh, you poor thing …” 

“I’m sorry for what I said about CLaus … and I’m sorry about what happened to you …” his words were interrupted his hiccups and heavy breathing occasionally, “I’m just … so sorry … I’m such a terrible friend …” 

Hinawa finally parted the hug and looked down at Ness. His face was red, puffy, and wet with tears. He was shaking and hiccups continued to rattle his body. He wasn’t even her own, and she felt obligated to take him in if things had been different. 

“You really should be telling all of this to Lucas, my dear …” she smiled gently and kissed the boy’s forehead gently, “I already know how sorry you are. Sometimes we do and say silly things when we’re mad … that doesn’t make you a bad person or a bad friend …” 

Ness felt his sobs lessening and he nodded. Hiccups still escaped him, but he was on the verge of calming down. 

“And don’t you worry about me, Ness …” she smiled and brought him back into another hug, “I’ll always be watching over you as well …” 

He hugged her back and nestled into her warmth, “Th-thank you …” 

“Don’t worry, Ness, things will start looking up. You don’t have to do this all alone …” 

And just as quickly as she appeared, she began fading away. “Next time you feel a burst of anger, talk things out with Lucas. He’s understanding and kind-- you can both work through this all. And … tell him I miss him dearly …” 

“I will … hopefully he won’t be mad …” he closed his eyes and breathed shakily. 

“If I know Lucas, he has a big heart. He knows right from wrong. He’ll surely forgive you. After all, he considers you two best friends …” 

Ness smiled for a moment and finally noticed Hinawa’s spirit finally fade away. With what was left of her, she said her final farewells. 

“Goodbye, Ness … you’ll find them …” 

Ness felt her presence vanish and just like that, he was alone in the world again. Just as soon as he had calmed down after letting everything out, he heard a familiar voice calling out his name. 

“Neeeeeeeeessssss!” 

He turned towards the voice and in a pained shout he called back, “Lucas!” 

Ness raced after where he heard the other’s voice coming from and before long, he saw him emerging from the brush. Ness, overcome with emotions charged right at him and leapt at him with enough force to knock him over. They laid there as Ness embraced him, sobbing once again. 

Lucas blinked a moment in confusion. He felt his face grow warm as he felt Ness embrace him apologetically. “Ness …?” Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around the other and pulled him close. “Listen, I’m really sorry about--” 

“No!” ness choked out, “It was me! It was all me … I’m so sorry Lucas …” he turned back towards Lucas’s chest and sobbed into it. Lucas felt like his heart would explode with both sadness and joy all at once. He hugged him back tightly. 

“I’m glad to see you …” Lucas said quietly.  
“Me too …” Ness replied with a whimper. 

“I am really happy, but, you’re kind of crushing me …” 

Realizing he had practically tackled him to the ground, Ness sat up, spewing apologies left and right. Lucas replied over and over that it was fine. He was just glad to see him. 

His face grew sour as he remembered their argument earlier. “I thought you were going to be mad at me forever …” Lucas said in a hushed tone, “Look, I am really sorry I never considered how you felt. I was just so happy to see Claus that I forgot to think about you and your feelings …” 

Ness shook his head, “I was being a dickweed …” he smirked, only for it to be replaced with another sob, “I’m sorry …” 

Lucas leaned forward and brought him into another hug, holding Ness in his arms. He wanted more than anything to plant a kiss on his forehead and tell him everything was going to be okay. But, now was definitely not the time for that. Not right now. He rubbed his back soothingly and chuckled a bit, “Well, you said it … not me …” 

Another chuckle escaped Ness, “Shut up …” 

They sat there for a moment, just enjoying one another’s company. It was nice. Finally, Ness parted from the embrace and sat quietly in front of Lucas. Neither one wanted to speak. It was Ness who finally broke the silence. 

“I saw Hinawa …” 

Lucas looked at him in confused bewilderment. “Huh? What do you mean?” 

“Her ghost appeared to me. We talked and she showed me what the right thing to do was.” Ness scratched the back of his head, wondering if Lucas even believed him. “When I found out it was her, I just started bawling because I felt so bad …” 

Lucas chuckled again, “And here I thought I was the emotional one~ But, if what you say is true … then I guess she really is looking out for us. If that’s the case then neither of us or Claus have anything to worry about.” 

Ness nodded, “I’m sorry for how I talked about Claus. I’m not in his position, so, I shouldn't have said anything. I’m just glad we didn’t die …” 

“You had the right to be angry. That kid next to Claus … wasn’t he your old friend? After you were shot, I could see why you’d be angry.” he narrowed his eyes at the torn fabric of Ness’s hoodie. “Speaking of which … how’s it feel?” 

“Better … Claus really helped it. I think it’ll be fine.” 

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by voices in the distance. Their eyes widened in horror as aggressive sounding men and women as well as barking dogs started moving ever closer towards them. 

“I heard voices this way!”  
“We can’t let them get away! Hurry!” 

Ness narrowed his eyes, “I bet it was Porky …” he stood up and helped Lucas up, “Run!” 

The two ran as fast as their legs could carry them, over twigs and through bushes, not even caring how much noise they were making. The enemy already knew they were there, and they would be on them at any moment! Ness perked up when he wa sure he could hear running water. He took the initiative and led Lucas in that direction. 

Before long, the two found the source of the running water. A fast paced river full of rapids was standing in their way. They could follow the river north, but, the people following them would find them no problem. The voices were approaching them now, and the sound of barking dogs had their hearts thumping as one. 

“What do we do, Ness?!”

Without thinking, Ness replied, “We jump!”  
“What?!” 

Ness grabbed hold of Lucas’s hand and jumped into the river, taking Lucas with him. Both let out a yelp as their bodies hit the cold water.

* * *

Lucas was sent under the rapids, tumbling and turning in the water as the current carried them away. To his shock, the rapids were enough to separate him and Ness. He struggled to reach the top of the river and when he did, he gasped out for a breath of fresh air. He looked around, but between the jagged rocks of the coast and the waves pounding into him, he couldn’t see where anything was. 

“Ness-!!” he was ultimately cut off as another rapid threw him underwater. More fumbling around in the depths sent him into a panic. He resurfaced again, choking as he felt water in his lungs. He looked around trying to locate his friend. Finally, he spotted Ness’s hat barely submerged under the water. 

With panic setting in, he swam for the hat and picked it up. Ness was nowhere to be seen! The water carried him fast, being forced underwater at every rapid he hit. Finally, he did notice something above the water. It was Ness! But, he wasn’t moving! 

Lucas struggled against the current and after much hard work he finally got to his friend. While trying to keep himself afloat, he tried keeping Ness’s head above the water as well. He didn’t want to assume the worst, but he had a feeling Ness was drowning. He didn’t have much time to think and attempted to swim for the shoreline. 

“Ness, we’re gonna be fine!” 

That was the last thing Lucas remembered before slamming into a large boulder. He let go of both Ness and his hat and felt himself falling unconscious. The loud rumble of a waterfall was the last thing he heard before everything went black.


	12. Bargaining

Lucas’s eyes fluttered open and he felt achiness in every part of his body. The sound of a distant waterfall was ringing on his ears as the sound of the waves lapped up against the shore. He wanted to move, but, everytime he tried to, he felt more pain than the last. His backside was especially painful, but as to why, his mind was immediately drawing a blank. It took all his might to stand up, soaking wet from having laid on the wet shoreline. He flinched as he came to a standing position, and glanced around. He felt on his shoulder and realized miraculously his backpack was still intact. He reached inside and was astonished to find that all of his supplies were somewhat dry. He was lucky for sure. 

He pulled out his flashlight and tried for the life of him to recall what had happened. He turned it on, excited when it worked and flashed it around the area. The light followed the river north until he found where the source of the rumbling in his ears was coming from. A giant waterfall was in the distance, splashing gushing water to its base. Had he gone over it? Then it suddenly hit him all at once. He recalled that he and Ness were trying to get away and they slammed into a boulder-- Ness! 

“Ness!” Lucas cried out. He sporadically flashed the light around, hoping to find his friend somewhere in the darkness. “Ness!! Where are you?!” 

The blonde’s eyes darted from shadow to shadow, hoping to find a glimpse of his friend. Despite the pain from slamming into the boulder, he pushed on, hoping Ness would turn up somewhere. He walked with a limp, and grabbed hold of the arm that held onto the flashlight. Even though his entire body was wracked with a terrible ache, he needed to find Ness-- wherever he was. His search turned into five minutes, and slowly turned to ten. By the time fifteen minutes was approaching, he was beginning to lose all hope that he’d ever find him. Perhaps he was swept away in the river-- never to be found again. 

Lucas was ultimately ready to give up, feeling his chest tighten with sadness. Was that the case? Was Ness gone forever? Every part of his brain was telling him to give up his search, but his body just wouldn’t listen. He was alive-- he knew it. He just had to keep moving down the river. Before long, he spotted a strange silhouette in the darkness ahead of him. It didn’t seem like a rock or a boulder, or anything organic. Lucas curiously flashed the light and was shocked when he saw Ness lying face first in the ground! Waves were lapping by by his face, and he wasn’t moving! 

“Ness!!” Lucas yelled, tripping a bit as he ran over to him. He dropped the flashlight and his backpack nearby and grabbed hold of his arms, dragging him out of the water. Ness was taller and heavier than Lucas, and mixed together with his backpack still in tow and his wet clothes, he was unfathomably heavy to pull. Mixed together with Lucas’s injuries, he was having a more than difficult time. When he succeeded in getting him away from the cold water, he gently turned him over. He was definitely unconscious. 

Lucas gulped and gently pressed his ear to Ness’s chest. He waited for a very long time-- no heartbeat. Fear set in all at once as he nearly felt his own heart stop. His face had been in the water too long-- he had drowned! However, despite knowing it was probably far too late to save him, that didn’t stop Lucas from trying. He remembered everything Tessie had taught him back at camp-- all of those healing lessons were about to pay off-- at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. 

He placed his hands to Ness’s chest and pressed down, trying to recall how to do this properly. He didn’t want to be too rough and accidently break something in his ribcage. Once he got the rhythm of it, he proceeded with several thrusts, stopped, and then proceed again. He carried on for a minute or so and received no reaction from Ness. No coughing, no breathing-- nothing. 

“Come on, Ness,” Lucas pleaded, continuing his thrusts, “You’re too tough to give up like this!” 

He stopped his thrusts for a moment and knelt down to Ness’s mouth. Pushing aside the fluttering feeling in his chest, he pressed his own mouth to his in an attempt to provide him with air. He did exactly as Tessie had once instructed him, and soon after, returned to pressing his chest. He refused to stop, but, the pain in his shoulder was making it increasingly difficult and painful for him to keep going. His strength wavered, and his arms began shaking. His teeth chattered from the cold enveloping him, and he breathed a shaky breath. Ness wasn’t waking up. 

“Ness, please!” he whimpered, “You have to wake up …” 

He tried giving him air once more, but, the attempt turned into a pitiful sob from Lucas as he realized it was all in vain. He pulled back, wondering what else he could do. Again, he tried with the thrusts, but he was losing strength in his arms fast. Tears welled in his eyes which eventually flowed over, causing Lucas even more grief. He uttered his friend’s name over and over, hoping by some miracle Ness would hear him. He gave up on the thrusts to his chest-- with his injuries, it was just too physically exhausting for Lucas. Instead, he only pulled Ness close to him, enveloping him in a cold, damp hug. It had been years since Lucas felt this heartbroken. The only other time he could think of was when his mother passed. 

He knew it wouldn’t work, but, he tried one last time and breathed air into him. One last, big breath. He watched sadly as Ness’s chest rose up from the breath, knowing that nothing would come from this. Defeated, Lucas pulled away and held him in his arms, not wanting to let go. Sadness washed over him and the thought of losing another person in his life was just too much to handle. He had told himself he was strong-- that he had moved past that and became a better person. So why did this sting so much? 

Suddenly, Lucas was taken aback by a terrible coughing fit from Ness. He blinked in shock as an audible gasp left him, watching as water flew from his mouth as he gasped for air. The coughing fit lasted for a moment, before he began wheezing and taking in air. Lucas looked him over, watching his chest rise up and down slowly, and watched in awe as Ness’s eyes slowly opened. In the dim light, violet eyes stared back at blue, obviously pained after being unconscious for god knows how long. 

“Ness …?” Lucas asked in a pain whisper. He brought his hand to Ness’s face, and overcome with relief, brought him into a gentle embrace. “Oh, Ness!”

Ness struggled to breathe in, but somehow managed to wrap an arm around Lucas. When he finally had enough air, he looked at his crying friend. His voice was low and raspy. “What … happened …?” 

“We jumped in the river to get away from Claus’s people …” Lucas replied back, cupping his hand over Ness’s head. He found his fingers stroke through his hair. “I found you, but … you were unconscious …” 

Ness felt awful when he heard a sob escape Lucas. He closed his eyes and sighed a deep breath. 

“I thought you were dead …” Lucas admitted, “I kept trying, but nothing was working …” 

“I’m fine now …” Ness insisted, “I think …” 

“Don’t ever scare me like that again!” Lucas cried, “I can’t lose anybody else …” 

Ness nodded and turned into the embrace once again. He hadn’t meant it, of course, but he hated seeing what he put Lucas through because of all this. Ness recalled it being his idea of jumping into the river. Perhaps if he had thought things through, everything would’ve turned out better for them. Next time, he’d think before he acted-- for both their sakes. They remained like that for a moment before a cold chill washed over them. 

Ness was the first to part from the embrace, feeling himself shudder in the cold. He held himself and glanced around, wondering if there was any place nearby that they could stay. 

“We need to get out of the cold …” Ness explained, his voice still weak from everything that had happened prior. “If we don’t find shelter and get warm we’ll get sick.” 

Lucas nodded, “I saw an hold run-down house not too far away from here.” he stood up, flinching as he felt a slight pain in his leg. “Can you stand up?” 

“I think so …” Ness attempted to stand up, flinching all the same as Lucas. The blonde reached a hand out to help him up. He saw his hat nearby and bent down wearily to grab it. It was sopping wet.“What about you? How’re you holding up?” 

“My shoulder and leg are a little messed up from slamming into the boulder, but, I think I’ll be fine for now. More importantly, we need to get a fire going soon.” 

Without any other conversation needed, the two headed off for the house Lucas had found before. It could be dangerous to set a fire up inside, but, so long as they were out of the elements, that would be better than nothing. Before long, they found the house-- good thing too because their clothes were growing frigid from the cold wind. 

It seemed the house had already been broken into by the time they arrived. However, the coast was clear and the house was completely abandoned. It was in rough shape, but, they were sure they’d be fine there for the night. What’s even better? The house came with a fireplace! Using what little PSI the two had left, they created a warm fire and watched as it grew and became warmer. 

Lucas watched as Ness huddled next to the fire, pressing his hands close to the flames in an attempt to get warm. He suddenly remembered how his supplies weren’t absolutely soaked and found the blanket they had stolen from the villa. To Lucas’s surprise and absolute relief, it was pretty dry. 

He looked over at Ness and showed it to him with a smile. “Here, you can use this. You should probably get out of those wet clothes and let them dry though. You’ll catch a cold if you don’t.” 

Ness accepted the blanket from him and gave him a raised brow. “What about you? Aren’t your clothes wet too?” 

Lucas shook his head, “No, I was mostly out of the water. Only below my knees and shoes are still a bit wet.” he gave him a warm smile, “I’ll be fine. You need it more than me.” 

“Lucas …” Ness shook his head, “At least try to let your shoes dry.”  
“I will.” 

He gave Ness some privacy as he changed and got into the blanket. He laid his soaked clothes out before the fire, hoping they’d be dry by morning (Or rather, by what the clocks said). Lucas sat his soaked shoes beside them and the two huddled side by side, trying to get warm. 

Lucas was taken aback when Ness spoke up. 

“Sorry I didn’t think that through, though …” he shrugged from underneath the blanket, “If I had been smarter and thought better under pressure, we wouldn’t be in this shitty situation …” 

Lucas shook his head and offered him another smile, “Don’t think like that. I’m just glad you’re okay … I seriously thought I was gonna lose you …” 

Ness stared into the fire, the flames reflecting against his violet eyes. “How did you get me to come back? You make it sound like I was dead, so … how?” 

“CPR,” Lucas explained, “I learned it from someone back at my camp. I just kept doing it hoping to get some sort of result.” 

Ness chuckled slightly and turned to Ness with a smug smirk on his face. “So that’s why I felt your lips on mine, huh?” He was obviously lying about feeling anything-- he just wanted a reaction out of Lucas. And it worked like a charm! 

Lucas’s face grew hot at the look he gave him Ness gave him as he shook his head faster than he’d like, “I said it was CPR! I-I didn’t--” 

“No need to get so flustered,” Ness joked, “I’m only kidding. I’m glad you saved me. If you hadn’t made out with me, I would’ve been dead.” 

Lucas shoved against him, chuckling slightly, “Shut up.” Was Ness catching on to how Lucas felt about him? As much as he said it wasn’t what he thought, there was a growing worried feeling deep in Lucas’s chest, wondering if he knew. 

After a moment of bouncing banter off of one another, they went quiet. They enjoyed the warmth of the fire as best they could. Finally, the house was beginning to grow warm. Lucas stood up and walked over towards the door. 

“I should probably barricade the door. We don’t want people getting in easily.”  
“I can help--”  
“No, stay where you are and keep warm.” 

Ness narrowed his eyes at Lucas. “You need to keep warm too. You should take the blanket-- I’m plenty warm now.” 

Lucas shook his head, “I’m fine! Seriously! Besides, your clothes won’t be dry for a while. Best wait until they’re completely dry.” 

Ness didn’t have the strength to argue. He watched as Lucas struggled to make a decent barricade, wishing he could help him. After long, Lucas joined him by the fire once again. They would’ve retired to the couch once they grew sleepy, but, the fire was just so inviting. The duo ended up falling asleep next to it, enveloped in it’s warmth.

* * *

Lucas shivered uncontrollably underneath the blanket as he laid on the couch. Shivers wracked his aching body as he struggled to get warm. He coughed weakly as he looked over at Ness sitting by the fireplace. Every time he swallowed, his throat stung horribly. Deep down, he knew he’d get sick-- he just knew it. But, Ness was his top priority now. He’d rather him than Ness be sick right now. Then again, he hated being a hinderance to him. 

He watched as Ness turned back towards him, holding a porcelain mug in his hand. Steam rose from the cup as he knelt next to Lucas. 

“Here, it’s warm, but the water should help your throat,” he brought the cup to Lucas’s mouth and tipped it gently to allow him to drink, “Don’t worry, it’s safe to drink. I boiled it and everything.” 

When Lucas finished he sighed shakily, “Thank you …” he said quietly. 

“I hope my hoodie is keeping you warm.” Ness said with a smile, “Hopefully those chills will go away soon enough.” 

“Yeah, thank you …” Lucas tugged the pull strings and put the hood over his head, hoping to get even warmer. “I appreciate it, but … aren’t you cold?” 

“I’m fine. The cold doesn’t bother me. You’ll find much more use out of it than me right now.” 

Lucas definitely appreciated the gesture. He snuggled deeper into the blanket, shivering violently as Ness sat back on the ground. From within the hood, he smelled Ness’s scent enveloping him, or rather, as best he could through his congested nose. Despite the fever wracking him with chills, it somehow made him feel warm. 

“I’m meeting up with Claus at midnight. He said he’d bring supplies with him if he could-- perhaps he’ll have medicine for us.” he looked down at his hand that held the cup, narrowing his eyes, “If our power hadn’t been drained, I’d use my PSI to heal you …” 

“I’d want you to conserve it and use it for something important …”  
“This IS important! I don’t want you being sick!”  
“Yeah, I know …” Lucas said quietly, “I’m sorry I’m keeping us here longer …”  
“Don’t say that. It’s nothing you can help. I just don’t want you being sick.” 

Ness turned away and headed back to the fireplace, grabbing a rag that had been soaking in another mug of water. He rinsed it out thoroughly and returned to Lucas, spreading it out on his forehead. “That should help with the fever.” 

Lucas looked up at him weakly and nodded, “Thanks …” he paused for a moment and watched as Ness sat at the other side of the couch. “Hey, could I go with you to see Claus …?” 

Ness shook his head firmly. “No. You need to stay and rest. I know you want to see him, but, you’re in no condition to be moving around.” 

“I’m just afraid something bad will happen … I don’t like thinking like this, but, what if Claus is followed or … he actually does betray us …?” 

“He wouldn’t do that. I think he genuinely wants to get away. If he’s followed, I can handle it.” he gave Lucas a confident smile, “After all, it’s me we’re talking about! I don’t go down so easily!” 

“Alright tough guy,” Lucas chuckled, with a cough added in, “Whatever you say. Just … don’t get yourself killed …” 

“I wasn’t planning on it. Hopefully Claus will have something good on him. Food would be nice. But, antibiotics or painkillers would be great too. Anything to get you feeling better.” 

Lucas turned towards the inside of the couch and snuggled in deep in an attempt to get warm. Ness sighed and relaxed his head against the head of the couch. “Just try to get some sleep … I won’t head out for a few hours still.” 

“You really didn’t have to do all this for me.” Lucas insisted. “You could’ve just left me and went on trying to find your friends. What’s keeping you here?” 

“You are my friend, dummy. Friends stick together-- and I’m not going anywhere until you’re better. The others are tough-- they can hold out a little bit longer without me.” 

Lucas felt his cheeks grow warm-- or perhaps it was the fever-- he couldn’t be sure. Nonetheless, hearing that Ness actually thought of him as a friend made his heart aflutter. Sure, if Lucas had it his way, he prefer a different term, but for now, friends it was. 

The two fell asleep shortly after that declaration. They both desperately craved that sleep, but they didn’t find much of a chance to get that sleep. Ness, because he was worried about the confrontation with Claus, and Lucas because he could barely breathe. 

The time for Ness to leave for the meeting place came faster than expected. He left Lucas with the strong barricade, and with a password that only Ness and him knew. With a promise that he’d be back as soon as possible, he took off for the spot Claus was waiting for him. Luckily, the waterfall and river they had jumped into was directly in the ravine he described.

* * *

Ness looked at the wristwatch he held in his hand. 11:55 PM was what it read in blinking green pixels. If Claus kept his promise, and he wasn’t being followed, perhaps this could work out fine after all. He was closing in on the meeting place, but he was going to have to be cautious. As the time neared midnight, Ness grew even more cautious about the meeting. As much as he wanted to believe what Hinawa’s ghost had told him, and as much as he wanted to put his trust in Lucas, people do change. Claus could’ve change for the worse and only spared him and Lucas if only for the fact that they were brothers. 

It was midnight by the time he reached the designated area, but, instead of waltzing right out into the open, Ness hid in the shadows, waiting for Claus to make the appearance first. It didn’t take long before he heard footsteps approaching from the other direction. From the nearby brush, a light began flashing and two boys about Ness and Lucas’s age appeared in the meeting place. He immediately recognized one as Claus and was thankful to see he kept his promise. The other boy was definitely not Porky, and that much he was elated about, but … whoever this mystery person was, Ness didn’t like it one bit. 

“Didn’t you say you’d come alone?” Ness questioned, calling out from his hiding place. 

“I never said anything like that.” Claus retorted, “You can trust him. He wants out of Fassad’s tyranny just as much as me. He’s cool, I promise.” 

Ness sighed, truly hoping that was the case. He swallowed his lumps and revealed himself, approaching them. Claus took a cautious step backwards and narrowed his eyes at Ness when he realized he was alone.

“Where’s Lucas? Why isn’t he with you?” 

“He’s sick. We had to escape into the river to get away from your people a few days ago.” Ness explained, a bit of hostility on his tongue. “He wanted to come, but, he was in no condition to be travelling.” 

Claus hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright. I’m sorry you had trouble with them. I didn’t think anything would come of our scuffle. I’m just glad you guys got away.” 

Ninten removed the backpack from his shoulders and rose a knee up to keep it balanced as he searched through it. “We tried to scrape up as much as we could, but, it’s kinda hard when the stash is checked so regularly.” 

Ness watched as Claus’s friend took out several water bottles from his backpack. “We figured you could probably use some fresh water.” 

Ness happily obliged and took them from him. “Thank you!” a smile grew on his face as he realized he didn’t have to boil water anymore, “We’ve been using water from the river for the past few days, so this’ll be great! Thanks … er …”

“Ninten,” the boy replied giving him a warm smile. “Nice to meet you Ness. Claus told me all about you and Lucas. I think it’s sweet that you came to look for him.” 

“Well, I wasn’t gonna let Lucas go at it alone. It took some convincing on his end, but, I’m glad I went with him in the end. He’s also helping me find my friends too.”

Claus narrowed his eyes and glanced between the two standing beside him. “You lost friends as well? Ninten, didn’t you say you did as well?” 

“Ahh, yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck and gave a little shrug, “I can’t really explained what happened, but, I remember meeting up with them after the world went dark. It was like … we came to a whole new world because we didn’t recognize anything.” 

Ness raised a brow at Ninten. His story sounded very similar to Lucas’s. “Really?” 

“Yeah! But, as for where they are now … I don’t know. Al I remember was Fassad finding me and taking me in. He told me I was unconscious and on the brink of death-- but, I was the only one he found.” he gave a hopeful smile, “That means my friends must be out there somewhere!” 

“What are there names? If Lucas and I come across them, we’ll send them your way--” Actually, that was probably a bad idea. Send them towards Claus’s people? Yeah, no. “Er, or at the very least, we can let them know you’re okay.” 

“Ana, Lloyd, and Teddy. Teddy’s this big tall guy with a cool looking black hairdo. Lloyd’s about my height, white-ish hair and glasses. And Ana is …” Ninten sighed dreamily, “The best … she’s a little shorter than me, and has blonde hair with pigtails. If they’re travelling together, you really can’t miss them.” 

“Guys, I’d hate to break up the nice chit chat we have going here, but, we really shouldn’t be out in the open like this. Ninten and I need to hurry back before the morning patrol starts up. Its bad enough we smuggled this for you.” 

The others agreed and continued their exchange. Ness was beyond happy when he saw a box of medicine that Ninten took from the bag. It wouldn’t cure Lucas overnight, but, it was definitely a start at making him feel better! Some snacks, some more medicine, and a few miscellaneous items were given to Ness before Ninten had completely emptied his backpack. 

“That’s all we have …” he explained, swinging the backpack over his shoulder once again.”Hopefully it’ll be enough to get you by.” 

“It’s perfect-- thank you guys, really.” Ness put the remaining contents into his now heavy bag and swung it over his back. “This medicine will really help Lucas.” 

Claus narrowed his eyes and Ness, almost looking rather melancholic. “Are you guys heading back to our camp?” Ness gave him a nod. “Well, when you get there, can you let my dad know I’m alright? He’s probably worried sick.” 

Ness didn’t know why, but, seeing this very human side of Claus made him truly believe what Hinawa was saying was true. Claus was a good person-- but different circumstances led him to doing bad things and working for the wrong people. No one could fault him for that. 

“Yeah, I’ll let him know as soon as we get there. I’m sure Lucas will tell him everything too. We’ll be back for you someday-- and if you two can escape on your own, even better.” 

Claus sighed, “It may be a while, but … let’s hope this won’t last forever.” He looked over at Ninten who placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“It won’t. We’ll be out of here soon enough.” he gave both of them a smile, “We’ll be out, we’ll go to your camp, and everything will be fine in the end.” 

They all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Ness was beyond excited to hurry back and give Lucas this medicine. With any luck, he’d be feeling better in no time. He explained to Claus they would be moving on and that they wouldn’t be able to meet up anymore, but, perhaps that was for the best. Ness didn’t think it was wise for them to be risking their necks for them. Although, he was really glad. After all, this medicine would definitely help. 

With a hop in his step, he hurried back to Lucas.

* * *

Lucas lay there in complete agony. Having switched from chills to dying of heat, he kicked off the blanket and lay there sprawled out on the couch. Being sick sucked complete ass. More than ever, he wanted to run outside and jump into the river just to be rid of this horrible sweating fever. As much as he wanted to, he knew that that rash decision would just make him sicker. It seemed that waiting for the excessive hotness to leave him was the only option. Not only that, but the unrelenting headache that persisted only made him feel worse. He’d take chills over this any day. 

Lucas looked down at the base of the couch and noticed the mug of water sitting there. Weakly, he reached down to grab it and brought it to his mouth, downing what was left of it. Instead of relieving his scratchy throat, it just seemed all the more painful swallowing big gulps. He groaned as he tried clearing his throat and turned to lay back on the couch, having removed Ness’s hoodie and his undershirt to be better relieved. He could only hope Ness would be back soon, and hopefully with medicine in tow. 

He sighed angrily, clearing his throat once again as he turned towards the barricaded front door. Ness knew the password, and he promised he’d return. However, something about him being off on his own drove Lucas mad. He wanted to be there beside him and ensure his safety. Not being there to know how he was doing was maddening, and the fever and headache only made that uncertainty more prevalent. Lucas grabbed hold of the discarded hoodie and took hold of it, bringing it close to him. Would Ness find it weird that Lucas liked holding that close? Would he find it weird that his scent calmed him down? The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how badly his feelings for him were seeping out. Best he not find out-- not yet. He closed his eyes and through his clogged nose, took in the scent that made him feel safe. 

He wasn’t sure how long he had drifted off, but he was awoken by a knocking at the door. Lucas narrowed his eyes, heart beating fast. He gulped, feeling the stinging sensation in his throat as he called out to whoever awaited him outside. 

“Who’s there?”  
“PK Banana!” 

Lucas smiled wide and hopped off the couch as he replied the password back. That was his voice for sure. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the password-- they probably could’ve went with something more serious but it didn’t matter now. Through the achiness in his body, he removed the barricades and let his friend in. More than anything, Lucas wanted to give him the biggest hug, but, he just feared he’d get him sick. Behind him, Ness seemed to have a lot of items in tow. 

“So, the meetup went well then?” Lucas asked through his raspy voice. 

“Yeah. Claus and his friend brought a lot of good things. Get comfy on the couch and I’ll show you.” 

As instructed, Lucas retreated back to the couch and watched as Ness came to sit on the floor beside him, pouring out the contents onto the floor. The thing that made Lucas the happiest were some pill bottles and fresh bottles of water. Boiled water was fine, but, there was just something about bottled water that couldn’t be beat. Some energy bars among other snack foods and some things Lucas could use for healing made the meetup all the more worth it. 

Ness grabbed the pill bottle and promptly poured two into his hand. “Here, take these. It’s ibuprofen, so it should at least help the achiness.” He poured the pills into Lucas’s hand and gave him one of the water bottles. He was happy to see him down more than half the water bottle in one gulp. 

“Are you hungry yet? You haven’t really been eating …”  
“No, not really, but … I probably should, huh?” 

Ness handed him one of the granola bars and watched as Lucas dug in. He was slow at eating it, but, that’s to be expected when you’re sick. It’d be better if he ate small things instead of not eating at all, and Ness was just glad he was doing that much. 

“How are you feeling?” Ness asked, cocking his head to the side. 

“The chills are gone, but, now I’m dying of heat …” with his free hand, he tugged at his t-shirt, feeling it stick to him from the sweat. It made him shudder with disgust. “Hopefully I can sweat this fever out and this is the last of it …” 

Lucas turned and saw Ness’s hoodie still on the couch before picking it up and handing it off to Ness. “Want it back now? I think the blanket will be enough.” 

Ness waved his hands and shook his head fast. “You’re keeping that thing until your cold is fully gone. I’m not risking getting sick-- no offense.” 

“None taken,” Lucas chuckled weakly, “I wouldn’t wanna get sick either. Well, you know.” 

The two talked about this and that for a while until sleep finally took over them. Lucas made room on the couch for Ness, and he took to the side that wasn’t incredibly infested with disease. They got comfy and eventually found the sleep they desperately needed.

* * *

The next morning, although he still felt sick, Lucas insisted it was time to get going. The fever and chills were going away, and at most, it was just sinuses that lingered. Ness insisted they could stay one more day, but, Lucas didn’t think that was wise. They took off and once they got their bearings, found their way out of the ravine. It didn’t take long before they found the road that led away from Fourside. They moved quickly, as they didn’t want to meet up with Claus’s people again. Now that they knew they way back from there, they were sure they could make it back in a week’s time! 

Lucas slowly got better over time, and once things had turned back to normal with him, their pace quickened. They didn’t take the pit stops they had taken before, as they had things they needed thanks to Claus. Things were definitely going a lot smoother this time around. Ness was even in the best mood Lucas had seen him in a while-- it felt nice seeing him this way. 

Days passed and they grew ever closer to Lucas’s camp. So close even that they stopped at the hot spring the bordered his territory. All at once, they felt their power returning to them once again-- a welcome sign of good things to come. Lucas knew the way home from there and took the lead from Ness. 

They had been walking for five days, and things were becoming familiar. Soon, Lucas would be able to see his dad and all of his friends again … Once they returned to his camp, they’d figure out how to get Claus and his friend out of there in one piece.


	13. Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd put a disclaimer here in the beginning. There's a bit of gore and some violence that happens in the first part.   
> Probably should've put that up last night, but I was tired and forgot since it was so late jaskfkshf 
> 
> So, if you're a bit squeamish of things like that, tread carefully. God speed.

Lucas led the way back to his camp, knowing that they’d be arriving sooner rather than later. By his calculations, they’d arrive in no less than a day! Lucas was more than ready to see everyone again-- so much so that he could barely contain his excitement. He knew the last time he ranted and raved about how happy he was to Ness that it all went downhill, but, it seemed like Ness was in just as good a mood as he was. Things were finally starting to look up! 

“Once we’re back, we can figure out a way to get Claus back and get everyone’s help in doing it.” Ness insisted, “Maybe, we could even storm this Fassad guy’s place and lay waste to everyone there!” 

“That’s a bit destructive,” Lucas joked, “But, if it means getting my brother back … I’ll do anything.” his expression shifted a bit, showing a more saddened look now, “When we saw him a week ago … was it just me or did his right arm look metallic …?” 

Ness bit the inside of his cheek, “Yeah … I think he had his arm replaced. I saw what you meant when I saw him at the meeting place. But, he seems to be holding up well despite it.” 

Lucas narrowed his eyes as the trudged forward into the forest. “I’ll never forgive that man. He killed our mother, kidnapped my brother, and probably whatever horrible thing caused him to replace his arm with that metal one.” he clenched his hands tightly, “He’s better off dead.” 

Ness was a bit taken back by what Lucas said. “Woah, Lucas, are you okay? That doesn’t sound like you …” 

“Sorry, I guess I just wish things could’ve been different. If Claus hadn’t left, then none of that would’ve happened to him.” 

“If he hadn’t left I wouldn’t have met you though. Despite everything, I’m glad I did meet you.” 

Lucas smiled a bit, “Yeah … I just wish it happened under different circumstances is all …” 

“Well, don’t worry, Lucas! I’m sure Claus can hold out just a little bit longer. He’s tough, and he also has that friend of his-- they seemed pretty close. We’ll get them both out soon.” 

“Thanks, Ness …” 

The boys continued talking back and forth for a while. To them, these talks not only kept them awake after hours of walking, but also managed to somehow keep their spirits high. It wasn’t until a while later that they finally went silent and just enjoyed each other’s company. Sometimes, that was even better than talking at all. They had walked off the main road and into the forest towards Lucas’s camp. Things were becoming familiar to him, and that was a good sign that they were getting close. 

Ness hadn’t realized, but he was beginning to lag behind Lucas after a bit. Lucas was picking up his pace and disappeared into the brush ahead of him. He didn’t want him to worry and also quickened his pace to keep up. Suddenly, he heard the loud sound of metal snapping and felt a hot, searing pain course through his ankle as he toppled onto the ground. 

It wasn’t until the intense pain hit him that he cried out a strained scream. He cringed at the unbearable pain as he pounded a fist into the ground, trying to hold back his pained screams. They turned into whimpers as he clenched his teeth together. He tried to move his leg as best he could, and even turned to see what had happened to him. Did something bite him? No matter how much he tried turning, he couldn’t pinpoint the source of his pain. “... Lucas …!” he cried out, he shook as he dug his fingers into the dirt beneath him. “... Fuck …” 

Lucas, who hadn’t gone on too far ahead, heard his screams and came running back with the flashlight only to find Ness on the ground, writhing in agony! “Ness!?” Upon closer inspection, he realized Ness’s foot had been caught in a bear trap. A huge one at that! 

In a pained whimper, Ness choked out words, “Lucas … help …” he shook his head and felt his entire body quiver at the pain, “F-fuh … it hurts so bad …” 

“Oh my god …” Lucas quickly knelt down next to him and inspected the injury. His eyes widened when he saw the severity of it. The bear trap had sprung fast and snapped through Ness’s skin no problem. Honestly, he was surprised it didn’t completely sever his ankle. It was already bleeding profusely. “D-don’t worry, Ness … I’ll have you out in a second!” 

“Hurry …” he whined, cringing as every movement made the pain worse. 

Lucas brought his hand to the bear trap to better inspect it. It seemed as if this bear trap had been altered-- they usually weren’t this sharp, and they usually were easily pulled apart with some force-- this one wasn’t the case. He needed to find the release hatch, or some way to open the trap, as soon as possible, lest Ness would risk losing even more blood. Lucas shook his head in disbelief-- he couldn’t find a release hatch anywhere. Ness was shaking like a leaf, and it only made Lucas shudder-- he couldn’t begin to comprehend what this pain felt like for him. He didn’t know anything about bear traps, and trying to locate the release hatch was behind mind boggling. 

“I-I can’t find it …” he looked over at Ness with pained eyes, “What do I do …?” 

Ness had tears in his eyes from the immense pain as he looked around, “I dunno! But do something!!” 

“Should I …” he swallowed hard, “Amputate … or?” 

Ness grabbed hold of Lucas’s sleeve and glared at him. “Lucas. Find the fucking release hatch.” His eyes told Lucas everything-- he didn’t want it to come to that option at all. 

Anxious beyond belief now, Lucas fiddled with the bear trap, hoping to spring it open for Ness. After a few moments of examining it, he was able to figure out how to compress the springs and remove the teeth of the trap from Ness’s foot. To both of their relief, the bear trap opened up, allowing Ness to crawl away once he couldn’t feel the pressure. The teeth took blood, parts of his jeans, and … other unsettling chunks with it. 

Ness crawled away from the trap and turned onto his back to get a better look at his foot. By his ankle, his jeans were all torn up, and blood seeped through the dark denim and began to soak the ground. Luckily, it seemed the jeans were doing a good job at keeping the blood contained for the most part. His sneaker was also partially destroyed from the teeth of the trap digging into him. He tried his best to move his foot in a pivot, but only cringed when he heard a cracking noise. 

Lucas crawled over next to him and examined the wound with the flashlight. He brought his hand to the bloody foot only for Ness to recoil, “Don’t touch it!!” he belted out. 

“I have to find out what’s wrong with it so I can help you!” Lucas rolled his eyes, “God, stop being such a baby.” 

Ness was completely offended, “You’re one to talk! You didn’t just nearly get your foot chopped off!” 

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry … You’re right, I don’t know what it feels like, but, I need to see the damage so I can see how to fix it.” 

Ness sighed and nodded, bracing for another wave of pain, “Alright …” 

“But, here’s not the place to do it … here, I’ll do this to stop the bleeding ...” 

Lucas took out the bandages he had taken from the hospital and turned to Ness’s torn jeans. He wrapped it tightly around his ankle, hoping to stop the blood flow for now. He watched as Ness twitched at the discomfort before he finished the makeshift tourniquet. 

Lucas stood up and tried to gather what he could from their surroundings. “From what I remember, there’s a thicket not too far away from here. We’ll be fine there, but, you’re gonna have to walk.” 

Lucas knelt down to help Ness up, offering his support. It took him a minute, but he managed to stand up, wrapping an arm around Lucas’s shoulder and putting half of his weight on him. It took a moment for them to get used to walking like this, but, with much struggle they managed to get going. Ness’s foot was really messed up if he couldn’t even hobble on it. 

“Sorry about this …” Ness said quietly.  
“Sorry for what? There’s no way you could’ve seen it … I just hope I can help somehow …”  
“You’re a healer right? I know you can-- you’re a smart kid-- you’ve got this.” 

Again, the warm feeling returned to Lucas. It felt nice to be complimented, and from Ness no less. After walking for about ten minutes, Lucas finally found the thicket he was talking about. It was shielded from people and creatures alike, but, the only problem would have to be the noise. If Ness couldn’t keep quiet, every creature in the vicinity would be rushing towards them. Hopefully, Ness would be able to brace himself well. 

He laid Ness down on the grassy area, bracing him up against a tree trunk and laying his injured foot out flat in front of him. For the life of him, he tried recalling all Tessie had taught him to do.

“Alright, this is gonna suck, but, just bear with me, okay? Try not to be too loud …” 

Lucas carefully removed the bandage from his ankle, the destroyed sneaker from his foot, as well as the torn up and bloodied up sock all while Ness kept flinching. Lucas was shocked when he saw just how deep the metal had pierced. The wound had punctured his skin and left a terrible wound. It looked really bad.He tied the makeshift tourniquet around his ankle once again, hoping it’d help with the blood flow like before. Ness sat up slightly to get a better look and his eyes widened in absolute horror. 

“Uh … that doesn’t look good …”  
“Don’t worry … everything’s under control … I-I think …” 

Lucas turned back to Ness, wondering what he should do first. Obviously, he had to stop the bleeding. But, he also needed to figure out just how bad the wound was. Was his ankle broken? Had it just broke the skin? 

“Can you try moving your foot?” Ness did as instructed and Lucas watched as he struggled to move it, barely able to do so. He also heard it crack, and he immediately thought it broke or fractured when the metal snapped, “What’s the pain feel like?” 

“Sharp … it feels like it’s shooting up my leg …” Ness reached for his knee to steady it from it’s quivers. 

That’s probably not good. Come on, Lucas, think. His lower leg could be on the line! Lucas let out a sigh, and gathered his thoughts. He needed to calm down, lest he accidently hurt Ness in the process of trying to make him feel better. Perhaps he should try PK Lifeup? They did just regain a lot of their power, so that may be a viable thing to do. 

Lucas hovered his hand over Ness’s wound and closed his eyes, thinking hard about how he wanted to do this. Slowly a green aura covered Lucas’s hand and Ness’s wound. Lucas opened his eyes and was relieved when he saw it working. He looked over at Ness with a warm smile. 

“You’ll be feeling better real soon …” 

Minutes passed however, and Lucas didn’t seem to be making any headway. Was his PSI just not strong enough to heal something like this? A burn or a small wound was nothing compared to something like this. He noticed it was healing slightly, but, the gashes left behind were just too grand for his level of PSI. Seemed like he had to resort to the one thing he didn’t want to do. 

“Alright, uh …” Lucas searched through his backpack and found a bottle of peroxide. He had taken this from the hospital and was glad to have it for a time like this. “This is gonna sting … badly …” 

Ness sighed loudly and nodded, “Do whatever you have to …” 

Lucas nodded and gently tipped the medicine bottle towards the wound. A little bit of liquid poured out at a decent amount onto it, making the wound bubble as it began healing. Ness’s entire leg flinched and made him recoil in pain altogether. 

“FUCK!!” he screamed out, digging his fingers into the soft ground. He struggled to keep quiet as best he could, but the pain was just too overbearing. 

“I’m sorry!” Lucas apologized, watching him writhe in complete agony. His heart sank, seeing how badly his hurt him, but, he knew it’d help him in the long run. “Deep breaths, Ness ...” 

Lucas sighed shakily and reached back into the bag for a rag. It was the one they had used back at the run down house, but, it was sure to be completely free of whatever sickness lingered on it. It was clean so therefore he used it. Lucas poured some clean water on it from a spare water bottle and gently dabbed it to his wound, cleaning the bubbling peroxide from it. He couldn’t imagine how painful this was-- and he couldn’t imagine how he’d handle the next part of this. 

“Alright, don’t freak out but …” Lucas reached back into the back and found the next thing on the list-- the sutures they had also found at the hospital. His hand shook horribly as he prepared himself for what had to be done. “ … I’m gonna have to stitch you up …” 

“What …?!” Ness shook his head in a panic, “No, oh god, no-- Lucas, please! I’ll be fine without it! Can we at least get back to your camp? Lucas, please!!” 

Lucas’s heart throbbed as he heard his pained pleads, but, it had to be done. “Please, Ness, let me concentrate … we have to do this. If we don’t you’ll risk getting infected …” 

“But--!”  
“Please!” Lucas narrowed his eyes over at him, “Please … let me do this for you …” 

Ness stared at him for a moment, feeling his mouth grow numb with panic. He swallowed hard and slowly nodded. “Okay …” 

“I’ll go as fast as I can …” Lucas assured him, “Please, try to keep quiet …” 

Ness brought his arm to his mouth, biting the sleeve, hoping to silence his screams as he prepared for what was to come. His breathing became erratic, and the worst part of all of this was the anticipation. 

“Ready …?”  
“No … but go ahead …” 

With his okay to go ahead, Lucas pressed the needle to his skin and began threading the sutures into his wound. Ness let out a muffled scream as he bit into his sleeve, and simultaneously pounded a fist into the ground. The pain seemed unbearable, and it broke Lucas’s heart having to listen to all this. 

“I know, I know … just breathe …” Lucas said in an attempt to soothe him, “You’ll be fine soon …” 

After each agonzing suture, Lucas finally finished sewing up the wound. It was a shitty job, but, at least it wasn’t an open wound anymore. Lucas once again used the same rag to clear away any blood made from the process, and when all was said and done, it actually didn’t look half bad. Sure, his foot was still throbbing with pain, but, that was to be expected. He turned back to Ness with a relieved smile. 

“Were finally done … I’m sorry you had to go through that …”  
“Yeah, me too …” 

Finally, Lucas reached into his bag for the last time and took out some bandages and the ibuprofen Claus had given them. Gently, Lucas began wrapping the bandage around his foot, starting from the base of his toes and going up well past his ankle. He made several layers of it out of fear that it’d begin bleeding again. Ness seemed to be calming down, and that much Lucas was happy for. He finally finished and made sure the wrappings wouldn’t come undone easily.

Lucas sat down beside Ness and sighed deeply as he buried his face into his hands. “That was intense …” 

“You’re telling me … I thought I was gonna die …” Ness brought his hand to his forehead and brushed back his bangs, “Holy shit …” 

“You wouldn’t die because of a wound like that,” Lucas explained, “But, we really do need to get you back to the camp as soon as possible. My friends will be able to help you better than I did …” 

Ness nodded and relaxed against the tree. “Well, can we at least relax for a little bit? I need it after that awful ordeal …” 

“Yeah, definitely.” Lucas reached for the ibuprofen and whatever was left of the water, “Here, take a couple of these-- it’ll help you with the pain.” 

Ness nodded and downed about three pills, hoping it’d help ease the searing pain in his ankle. “Thanks … the bandages are helping somewhat. Though, I think you did make it a bit tight …” 

“I was afraid the wound would open up … you should be fine until we get to the camp.” 

The two relaxed for a moment and starred up at the dark sky above them. The trees rustled in the breeze and finally, everything felt peaceful for just a moment. Lucas jolted back to reality when he felt Ness relax his head in the crook of his neck. He looked over at him, feeling butterflies erupt in his belly. 

“Thanks for helping me …” Ness sighed quietly and closed his eyes, “I would’ve been screwed if you weren’t here …” 

“I would’ve been just as screwed during all those other times if I didn’t have you …” Lucas brought an arm around and wrapped around Ness, bringing him in closer, “I guess we really do need each other, huh?” 

Ness strained a laugh and nodded, “I guess so … hey, Lucas? I know we’re close to your home, but, could we just stay here for a little bit? Please?” 

“Of course. Take all the time you need to rest …” 

When he was sure Ness had drifted off, he turned his face towards Ness’s head and pressed his face to him. He breathed in and sighed, welcoming the scent that reminded him of home-- of warmth, and safety. Was it creepy that he did this all the time? Most likely, but it didn’t stop him. So long as Ness never found out, he was in the clear. Subconsciously, he planted a small kiss on Ness’s forehead, hoping he wouldn’t stir. When he didn’t he sighed in relief. 

“Goodnight, Ness …” he said quietly. He relaxed his head atop Ness’s and within minutes, he found sleep just as Ness had.

* * *

“Lucas! Lucas, wake up!” 

Lucas was roused from his dreamy state when he heard Ness’s voice calling out to him. Once he snapped back into reality, he glanced over at Ness with sleepy eyes. 

“What’s wrong …?” he asked with a yawn mixed in.  
“There’s something coming-- or, a lot of something … I heard them a minute ago …” 

Lucas immediately realized the situation and got to his feet, as he grabbed his weapon. He stood in front of Ness and held a stiff pose. Whatever was out there, he wasn’t going to let them hurt Ness-- not while he still drew breath. 

“Where did you hear them coming from?” 

Before Ness could hope to reply, the things that he had heard sprung into the thicket and surrounded them. They weren’t Claus’s people thankfully, but, they were just as terrifying. The same dark beasts they had seen back when they first met surrounded the boys-- six of them, giant in form. Lucas shook like a leaf, but, in that instance, he told himself he was the bravest person ever. He had to be for Ness’s sake. 

“Don’t worry Ness,” he waved his arm around in front of him, giving him and Lucas a brief shield. This would help immensely, “This time, I’m gonna protect you …” 

The shadowy beasts were on all fours and slowly approached the boys. Dark ooze slobbered from their mouths and their eyes pierced the darkness with a glowing red light. It was no understatement to call these terrible things nightmare fuel. The way they moved felt surreal, and their gaping, dripping mouths only provided more fear. 

The one in the front leapt at Lucas, but, he wasn’t afraid. He quickly jabbed the beast with the sharp end of his stick and even threw out a Defense Down on the one attacking him. The other beasts became infuriated and began to swarm him. Lucas wasn’t done however and in the heat of the moment, unleashed his strongest PK Love, letting it hit them all square in the face. 

The beasts were flung back a ways, but, they weren’t dead. If anything, they were even more pissed off. Lucas braced himself, throwing up another shield for him and Ness. If he went down, he wanted to at least be sure Ness would be safe for a while. His hands tightened on his weapon as every single beast charged at him fast. He didn’t know what was in store next, or what he should be planning, but he had to think fast. They were almost on him when a feminine voice echoed out. 

“PK STARSTORM!” 

Lucas was caught off guard when star-like PSI came crashing down onto the beasts, pummeling them into the ground, repeatedly. There was no chance for them to get up, and before long, their shadowy bodies were pounded into nothing but oozing mush. Shadows engulfed them, and they disappeared into nothingness. 

“Starstorm …?” Ness asked, blinking in confusion. It couldn’t have been Poo-- the voice sounded too feminine and unfamiliar. 

Lucas looked to where he heard the voice coming from and from the brush, he saw two familiar faces. A lanky man with brown hair and facial hair to go with it. He wore a blue sweater with a satchel in tow. He wore boots and black pants to match, but one leg had a limp. The other was a shorter, tomboyish girl with pink hair. She wore her trademark lavender hoodie with black leggings and her pink boots. There was no denying it, it was Kumatora and Duster! 

Lucas stared on for a moment as a big smile engulfed his face. Tears immediately fell as he raced towards them. 

“Kumatora! Duster!” 

“That is Lucas!” she shoved against Duster and gave him a smirk, “How did you know that was him?” 

“Call it Thief’s Intuition. Plus, he and Claus are the only ones that know PK Love.” 

Kumatora was taken aback as Lucas charged at her, embracing her in a tight hug. 

“Woah, hey there, kiddo!” she laughed and hugged him back, “We’ve been searching everywhere for you!” 

Lucas didn’t reply and only nestled into her hoodie, beginning to cry. 

“Oh, Luc-- I guess some things haven’t changed …” she embraced him back and watched as Duster joined the group hug as well. 

“Nah, he’s grown up a lot-- I can tell.” Duster added with a smile on his face. “Good to see you again, Lucas …”

“I missed you guys so much …” Lucas sniveled, “I’m home …” 

Lucas raised his head when he heard distant barking getting closer. His tears subsided and another big smile came to his face as he saw Boney leap through the bushes and run towards his human companion. 

“Oh, there he is. I was wondering where he had run off to.” Kumatora said nonchalantly.

“Hey, Boney! Come here boy-- oof!” Boney practically jumped into Lucas’s arms, throwing the blonde to the ground as he received doggy kisses left and right. He let out laughs as Boney showered his owner in love and affection. He turned away and finally noticed Ness again. The raven haired boy was smiling back at him. 

Lucas eventually got Boney off of him and turned back towards Ness with a smile. Kumatora and Duster finally noticed the injured boy up against the tree, honestly feeling bad they hadn’t noticed sooner. Kumatora put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. 

“Friend of yours?”  
“Yeah, I met him on the road a little while after I left. He’s cool, I promise.”  
“Never said he wasn’t! Any friend of yours is a friend of mine!” 

Duster walked towards Ness only for him to recoil a bit. Human interaction wasn’t something he had done in a long time. Duster offered a look of sympathy and knelt down beside him, inspecting the obviously injured leg. 

“What happened to his leg?” he inquired. 

“I got it caught in a bear trap not too far away. Lucas patched it up good though.” Ness explained, feeling somewhat better near Duster. 

An embarrassed look overcame Duster and he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh, “I’m gonna kill my old man. He told me to put those bear traps out there to catch those shadow monsters. It was meant for them, not you-- sorry about that, kid …” 

Ness shook his head, “I should’ve been paying attention to where I was going. No worries.” 

“I tried my best to heal him, but … PK Lifeup just wasn’t doing a good job at, er, healing … So, I used peroxide, stitched and cleaned the wound, and wrapped it up.” Lucas explained, “But, I think we need to get him back to Tessie.” 

“Yeah, definitely.” Duster agreed, “No offense to you, Lucas, but a professional nurse would do him some good. You did a good job with what you had though!” 

Lucas nodded and walked towards them, kneeling beside Ness. “You’re gonna love Tessie-- she’s the sweetest lady I’ve ever met, aside from my mom. She’ll fix you up nicely …” 

Ness nodded and watched as Duster turned away from him, still kneeling down. “Here, I can carry you to the camp-- it’s not too far.” 

“What about your leg, dummy?” Kumatora asked, crossing her arms. 

“I’ll be fine for a short distance. My leg isn’t anything compared to this kid’s leg. By the way, what’s your name?” 

“Ness,” he climbed onto Duster’s back with the help of Lucas, flinching a bit when he had to put pressure on his damaged foot. “And you’re Duster and she’s Kumatora?” 

“That’s right! We’re pretty hard to forget~” Kumatora said happily as she came to stand next to Duster. “Nice to meetcha, Ness!” 

“You sure your leg’s gonna be okay, Duster?” Lucas asked, cocking his head. 

“I’ll be fine. Right now, we all need to focus on getting back to camp before anymore of those things show up.” Duster shifted Ness higher up onto his back, making sure he was comfortable before continuing. “Let’s go!”

With everyone in agreement, the group hightailed it back to the camp. It was only a thirty minute walk, back which Lucas had severely mistaken when telling Ness earlier. It seemed they were a lot closer than he originally thought. Lucas was more than excited to see everybody else-- Fuel, Tessie, Wess, Alec … Flint. He figured his father would be terribly upset with him, but, he’d face it when the time came. For now, Ness’s safety was more important. With a bounce in their step, the group hurried back to the gated camp.

* * *

A perch overlooked the gate that allowed people in and out of the camp. The two on guard at the moment was Fuel and Lighter, watching the area around the front. Usually, their job entailed letting everyone know if someone was approaching, or if one of those shadow beasts were coming their way. However, things had been pretty quiet for the most part. 

“If you wanna turn in for the day, you can go ahead, Fuel,” Lighter said to his son. Fuel glanced up at his dad and looked at him worriedly. 

“But, it’s still my shift. I don’t mind staying a bit longer.”  
“Whatever you want, kiddo. Just thought I’d mention it.” 

Lighter’s ear twitched when he heard bushes rustling in the distance. He and Fuel both turned out to the dark forest, narrowing their eyes at whatever was approaching. Duster and Kumatora were our looking for Lucas again, so, if it was one of those shadow beasts, they’d all have to fend it off on their own somehow. 

Lighter was delighted to see Kumatora emerge from the forest and together he and his son sighed in collective relief. However, something about Kumatora seemed off. She had a serious look about her, as she glanced back to help whoever was behind her. From the brush appeared Duster carrying someone on his back, Boney, and … Lucas?! 

“Open the gate!” Kumatora belted out, “We have a wounded kid!” 

“Open the gate!” Lighter echoed out. Fuel joined in too. 

Everyone’s yells alerted those in the encampment and they rushed to get the gates opened for Kumatora and the others.The opened without any trouble and let the residents inside. Everyone collected around them as they entered-- some beyond excited to see Lucas once again. 

“Where’s Tessie? We need to get him to her.” Duster asked, motioning to his back where Ness clung. 

“She should still be in the infirmary.” Lighter explained, “Why what’s wrong with him?” 

“He got his foot caught in a stupid ass trap.” Kumatora explained, “He’s hurting real bad.” 

“Alright, yeah, head to the infirmary, she should still be there.” 

Lucas was ready to follow suit when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. He turned to see Fuel running towards him. The two were quick to embrace one another, holding each other in a hug for several moments. 

“I was so scared for you! After a month had passed, I assumed the worst …” Fuel admitted.  
“I’ve been fine … I met a friend and he helped me find Claus …” 

Fuel parted the hug and stared back at him in awe. “You actually found him? That’s amazing, but … where is he? Shouldn’t he be with you?” 

Lucas went quiet and separated from their embrace all together. “It’s uh … kinda complicated … he’s in a bad situation and we’re trying to figure out how to bring him home.” 

“Well, I’ll help however I can! No matter what, you and Claus are still my best friends, so, I’ll help you find him!” he nodded in confirmation, “It’s a promise!” 

“Thanks … that really does mean a lot.” 

“Oh, by the way, you should probably go see your dad … I told him when you left and he wasn’t too happy. He sent people out looking for you ever since you left.” 

Lucas felt his expression sadden and he glanced down, trying to shield his face from Fuel, “Oh … yeah, I probably should, huh …?” 

“Your friend will be alright-- he’s in Tessie’s care now. Your dad is at your house. He really never leaves there anymore …” 

Lucas gulped and nodded, leaving Fuel’s side to walk home. He watched as Duster and Kumatora reached the infirmary with Ness. Hopefully he wouldn’t freak out without him being there. Ness was tough, and they were safe here-- everything would be fine-- that much he was sure of. He turned back to the house that he and his family had spent the last three odd years in. While the camp certainly felt like home nowadays, he truly did miss his home in Tazmily. Nothing here ever felt the same. 

A sharp breath came from him, wondering how his father would react upon him being here. Would he be furious? In that instant, that’s all Lucas could think of. His dad was beyond pissed at him for leaving, but, if he brought up Claus, perhaps he’d forgive him. He finally reached the door to his home and with a heavy, guilty heart, he opened the door to inside. 

The house was completely dark, just like the night he left. Despite it not being Tazmily, it did smell of home and it hit him like a sentimental truck. He walked into the living room and his heart throbbed with a nervous ache when he saw Flint hunched over on the couch. He hadn’t noticed him yet, but, perhaps that was for the best. Slowly, he made his way over and stopped in front of him. It took him a moment before he finally checked to see who it was, and when he did, his eyes widened in awe. 

“Lucas …?”  
“Hi dad …” 

No more words were needed. Flint stood up immediately and brought his son into an affectionate hug. When he felt Flint heave that was enough to send Lucas over the edge as well. They sat there, embracing one another for what seemed like an eternity. Lucas was finally home after what felt like forever. Flint didn’t ever want to let go-- he had already lost one son, and he was damned if he’d let that happen again. 

“I’ve been so worried …” Flint said quietly, “We sent out search parties n’ everythin’ … But, now you’re here …” 

Lucas buried his face into his father’s chest, sobbing, “I’m home …” 

After they had their share of affection, Flint parted from the hug and looked at Lucas. He had only been gone for a month, but, in that time something felt different about him. It was like he had changed as a person, and that made Flint the proudest father in the world in that moment. 

“Look at you,” he sighed, “Had to go chasin’ your brother and come back a hero huh?” 

Lucas turned away and shrugged, “I must be some hero-- I couldn’t even bring him back. But, we did find him!” 

Flint narrowed his eyes, “You found Claus? Lucas, where is he?!” 

“In a city called Fourside. It’s a week’s trip out from here. But,” Lucas turned back to him with a worried look, “I really think he’s in danger … he can’t leave.” 

Flint rose a brow, “And why not?” 

“The man that killed mom … Claus found him and his people, and now he won’t let him leave. I met someone on the road named Ness, and he and I both tried to take him back with us, but … Claus is convinced that man will come for us all.” he shook his head, “I really tried, dad … I know you miss him a lot … I tried so hard …” 

Flint shook his head and brought his hands to Lucas’s shoulders, “Luc, you listen t’ me. Runnin’ away to find him was stupid. You coulda’ been killed. I miss Claus very, very much-- and I agree he needs t’ be rescued, but, we can’t put everyone here at risk. We need to think strategically.” 

“He’s running out of time dad!” Lucas interjected, “We can’t lose him!”  
“And I can’t lose you again! You’re all I have left …”  
“I know, but …” 

Flint brought Lucas in for another hug. He rested his head against Flint’s chest again and sighed heavily. “I just want us to all be together again …” 

“I know you do, Luc … I realized that when you went after em’.” he pulled away from the hug and narrowed his eyes at his son, “But, we’re gonna need all the help we can get to get Claus back, understand? Just you and yer friend runnin’ in gung-ho will only get you both killed.” 

Lucas nodded, “Okay …”  
“We’ll figure somethin’ out-- I promise. By the way, where is that friend of yer’s?”  
“In the infirmary. He got his leg caught in a bear trap.” 

Flint sighed and rolled his eyes, “Damn Wess and his damned traps. I knew they’d get someone hurt. Well, you’d better go make sure he’s doin’ alright. I can get a supper going for you when ya get back. You can bring the extras to yer friend afterwards.” 

Lucas smiled and nodded, “Thanks dad! I’ve been meaning to have one of your soups again.” 

“Thank your mother for teachin’ me her cookin’ ways. Hinawa was a saint …” 

Lucas talked a bit more with Flint for a moment before parting ways with him. As much as he did want to catch up with his father above anybody else, he did need to make sure Ness was okay. He quickly left the house and began running towards the infirmary. He hadn’t been too long, but he was wondering how quickly Tessie could work on him. Lucas was halfway there when a tiny voice stopped him. 

“Um, excuse me …” 

He stopped mid run to see a rather short girl approaching him with two boys behind her. They were definitely people he didn’t recognize, but, they seemed like friendly folk. Perhaps they had arrived while Lucas was out for a month. The girl had blonde bobbed hair with a pink bow. She wore what looked like a pink dress or skirt with a hoodie over top. Black leggings and pink shoes completed her look. Behind her, another blonde boy with a cracked pair of glasses stood, shifting a bit. He wore a zip-up shirt with numerous pockets-- talk about tactical. The one that stood out the most was the monk-looking kid who stood on the other side of the girl. He had to be about 17 or 18 at the oldest. He seemed to be wearing traditional clothing from a different country with a satchel around his shoulder. Definitely an odd cast of characters. 

“Were you one of the boy’s that came into the camp?’ the girl asked with a warm smile, “We had heard one was Mr. Flint’s son and that the other was a newcomer, so, um …” 

The oldest boy spoke up for the timid girl, “We’re searching for a friend. Perhaps you know if that newcomer is him? It would help us out if you could tell us.” 

It finally clicked in Lucas’s mind and suddenly, he recalled the description Ness had given him about his friends. A short blonde girl? Paula! A blonde nerdy guy? That had to be Jeff! The tall monk kid? That was Poo for sure! Lucas’s eyes widened and he stood there, taken aback. 

“Is Ness your friend?! Are you Paula, Jeff, and Poo?!” 

The short blonde girl nodded happily, “Yes! That’s who we’re looking for! It’s been three long years and we just want to see him again …” 

Lucas nodded, “Of course! Follow me, guys!” he took off towards the infirmary and watched as they followed after him. “He ended up getting injured on our way here, so, he may be a little delirious.” 

The one known as Jeff spoke up, “Is he alright? How injured is he?” 

“He got his foot caught in a bear trap, but, Tessie is working on him. She’s the best nurse I’ve ever known! She’ll be able to save him no problem!” 

“Oh … we finally found him …” Paula said with a whimper in her tone, “At long last …” 

Lucas finally stopped in front of the infirmary and led them in. Just like all of the other buildings, it was designed like an ordinary house. Ness’s room had to be on the first floor, as it’d be difficult for him to walk anywhere once he could. Lucas led them inside, following the dimly lit trail of candles until they began to hear voices. 

They came to a room with a door that was creaked open slightly. Lucas turned to them and had them gather around as he talked in a hush whisper. “I’ll go in and see if it’s alright for him to have visitors. I was kinda Tessie’s assistant before I ran into Ness.” 

The others nodded and Paula stepped forward thanking him immensely. “Thank you so much for finding and looking out for him … um, what is your name anyway?” 

Lucas gave her a happy smile, “It’s Lucas. I’m glad to finally meet you guys. Ness always talked about you.” 

The blonde turned back towards the door and gently opened it, revealing a rather warmly lit room that seemed extremely inviting. Inside was Duster and Kumatora surrounding Ness at his bedside. Tessie had propped Ness’s foot up onto a pillow, changed the bandages and probably changed the sutures. She was fast with her work, and Ness looked like he was drugged up on all kinds of painkillers. He hadn’t spent that long with his father, had he? Around his ankle was a makeshift splint in the form of a brace, hoping to fix his wounded foot. 

“Hey, Ness, how’re you doing?” Lucas asked quietly as he approached the bedside. 

“Better … you were right, Tessie’s great. Unlike with you, I could barely feel her stitching me up.” 

Lucas gave a light chuckle, “Hey, that’s not very nice. It’s true, but not nice.” 

The two laughed for a bit before Tessie turned to Lucas. “You did a good job with what you had Lucas. Ness told me what you did, and I’m surprised at how resourceful you were. But, it’s a good thing you got him here when you did. His foot could’ve wound up a lot worse if you hadn’t.” 

“I just did what I had to. I didn’t want him to bleed out or be in pain. Thank Duster and Kumatora-- it’s a good thing they showed up when they did.” 

“Ahh, it’s nothing, kiddo,” Kumatora said smugly, “We’d do it again in a heartbeat~” 

“We should probably let Ness rest. He’s had a rough day,” Duster said quietly. “Good to see you again Lucas. Let us know how Ness recovers.” 

“Yeah, see ya’ around kiddo.” Kumatora turned to Lucas and ruffled his hair a bit before they turned to exit the room. Kumatora was met with the newcomers, “Oh, ‘scuse me!” 

Lucas finally remembered he left them out there. “Hey, Tessie? I know Ness needs to rest, but, he has some more visitors. Is it okay if they stay for a little bit?” 

Tessie hummed for a moment and nodded, “So long as they don’t roughhouse, I don’t see why not. It could put him in better spirits.” 

“I couldn’t agree more!” Lucas said happily, “Alright, you guys! You can come in!” 

Ness tried to sit up better to see who it was. Perhaps another one of Lucas’s friends? But why would they come to visit him of all people? No one knew who he was around here. Unless Lucas was already putting in a good word for him. Ness watched as the door opened and three familiar faces stepped in. His heart practically stopped and he went slack jawed. 

“What …?” he was awestruck and couldn’t find the words to speak. Immediately, his vision went blurry as he became misty-eyed. His friend who he had been searching for since the world had gone dark were standing right before him-- they were in good health too! A bit scruffy, but it perfect health! “You … it’s you …” tears overflowed as he struggled to find the words. 

“Ness!” Paula was the first to run towards his bed. Careful of his injury she embraced him in the biggest hug of her life. Together they began sobbing as they held each other close. Ness buried his face into Paula’s shoulder and let out a pained sob as he held her close to him, never wanting to let go. 

“It’s really you …” Ness asked, opening his drenched, puffy eyes, “I’m really not dreaming this? Is this real …?” 

Paula nodded as she rubbed his back soothingly, “It’s real Ness … it’s all real …” 

“Ness!” 

Ness turned away from Paula's comfort and saw Jeff approaching from the other side of his bed. The two shared in another big hug, this time Jeff letting out his emotions as they embraced. The blonde removed his glasses and set them aside, allowing him to bury his own face into Ness’s shoulder and cry. 

“We finally found you …” he sobbed, “It’s been so long … we thought you were dead …” 

Ness nodded, “I was beginning to think the same … I’m so happy …” 

“Master Ness,” 

The three looked over to see Poo approaching from the same side as Paula. Ness looked up at him, a snivelling mess, but still gave him the biggest smile he could muster. A small smile overcame Poo as he placed a hand on Ness’s shoulder. 

“You make a better leader than I ever could. You were missed …” Poo wrapped his arms around Ness and brought him into an inviting hug, his much gentler than the other two hugs. As if on cue, the others joined in with the hug and embraced a sobbing Ness. 

“We’re all together again …” Ness said happily as more tears fell, “I’ve missed you all so much …” 

Lucas and Tessie watched from the distance, both sharing in happy faces as well. Lucas was even shedding a fear tears himself. It was good to see Ness reunited with his friends like this. For so long, he thought it would end with horrible circumstances. They’d find them dead or something awful like that. But, it turned out they had been here this whole time! Things couldn’t have turned out better for them! 

“Tell me, Lucas, who are they in relation to him?” Tessie asked in a whisper. 

“They were all friends before this whole mess. They got separated like all of us once the world turned dark.” 

Tessie nodded in understanding, watching the wholesome spectacle unfold before her. It was always so endearing to see reunions such as this. Things couldn’t be better for the four of them. 

Paula was the first to pull away from the group hug, “Ness, we have so much to catch up on! You’ve been gone for so long!” 

Jeff nodded quickly, “Yeah! We need to talk about what we’re doing next! Now that we’re together, we can figure out how to end this horrible night!” 

“I think Giygas still has attachments in this world. If we can eradicate those attachments, things may go back to normal.” Poo insisted. 

“When things get better … what do we do then though?” Paula asked, cocking her head, “I should really go back to Twoson to find my mother …” 

Jeff shrugged a bit, “I wouldn’t mind going back to find Tony in Winters …” 

“My people may be in trouble … I should return to them as soon as possible …” 

Paula clapped her hands together happily, “We can all go together! This’ll be great!” 

Lucas felt a pang in his heart when he heard that. As much as he wanted to be happy for Ness and his friends, those words stung a bit. Winters? Twoson? Were those places far away? Poo seemed like he came from a distant land. Did that mean Ness would be leaving him for good this time? When they came back together a week ago, he was sure he’d have more time with him-- he never figured it’d go by this fast. He still never even got the chance to tell Ness how he felt. What was the point if he was just going to leave anyways? It’d reduce the heartache if he didn’t. 

As the four talked amongst one another about their plans, Lucas silently slipped out of the room. Not even Tessie had noticed as she had resumed her work once again. 

“All those things sound great, but, I promised Lucas I’d help him find his brother first. He’s in a bad situation, and we need to bring him home as soon as possible.” Ness explained. 

Paula nodded, “You always did like helping people out … I think that's why we’re all here now.” she giggled a bit, “Well, any friend of yours is a friend of mine, Ness! If you wanna help Lucas first, I’ll gladly help too!”

“Yeah, I mean, Tony’s strong. He can hold out a little longer, I’m sure …” 

“I wasn’t going to return to my people until the sun rose again. I’ll be by your side, Master Ness.” 

“Hear that, Lucas? Now we’ve got a ton of help to bring back--” Ness looked up but didn’t see Lucas anywhere, “Huh? Where’d he go?” 

Everyone looked back towards the door, even Tessie who didn’t seem to notice he had vanished. She spoke up with a giggle, “Perhaps he wanted to give you some space. After all, it’s been a while since you’ve seen each other, right?” 

“He’s probably just tired.” Paula assumed, “Ness, can you catch us up on what happened?” 

Ness nodded and happily told his friends about what had happened in the time they had been separated. About how he woke up in Saturn Valley, about how he returned to a destroyed Onett, all the time he had spent alone, and finally he told them about how he met Lucas and the wild adventures they had gone on. 

Despite him being extremely happy to see his friends again, he felt as if something was wrong with Lucas. It wasn’t like him to just up and leave like that. Had he upset him? As soon as his leg was better, he’d ask him for certainty.

* * *

A week had passed and Ness had begun a rehab period, trying to get back on his leg. Thanks to Lucas and Kumatora helping out with healing PSI, it was going along swimmingly. Without PSI, he would have been immobile for much longer, but thanks to the help from Lucas and his friends, he was practically better within a short week. However, during their healing sessions, Lucas remained rather quiet around Ness. Perhaps Lucas thought he didn’t know, but, that wasn’t the case-- Ness could read him like a book. 

Ness was finally able to stand and walk on his leg in just a short period of time. It was as if nothing had happened to him. The power of healing PSI and modern medicine was astounding. Tessie, Lucas, and Kumatora had done an awesome job, and Ness couldn’t be more thankful. While he was bedridden, his friends would often stop by with leftovers from their meals as well as to chit chat. To Lucas, he knew he should be happy for him. He was finally reunited with his friends-- but, a pang of jealousy lingered … and he hated himself for that fact. 

It was time for Ness to finally leave the infirmary and Lucas decided to wait for him out on the front stoop. Paula, Jeff, and Poo had taken scavenging duty with Duster and Kumatora at that hour, so Ness’s only welcome party was Lucas. Lucas was sure Ness would’ve wanted his friends to be by his side when he could finally stand again, but, in that moment? Lucas was happy to just have Ness to himself for a moment. As selfish as he felt, he was happy for the first time in a week. 

He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Ness walking out. The blonde gave him a warm smile in the darkness. From the distant lights of houses, they were barely able to see each other. Perhaps that was for the best-- then Ness couldn’t see how sad he really looked. 

“How’re you feeling?” 

“A lot better,” Ness came to sit beside Lucas on the steps, “You all did a great job-- it’s like nothing was even wrong with my foot.” He rose his leg up and moved his ankle in a pivot. He had gotten a new pair of shoes and everything and it seemed alright. 

“That’s awesome … I’m really glad for you.” he went quiet and tucked his legs into his chest, “But, I guess that means you’ll be leaving with Paula and the others now that you’re better, right?” 

Lucas just couldn’t keep quiet. He had to let that jealousy slip out and he hated that he said it out loud. When Ness didn’t reply for a moment, he felt his heart ache. It was entirely selfish and mean and he was sure Ness despised him now. 

“No? Why would you think that?” Ness asked, sitting forward a bit. He tired to get a better look at Lucas, “I’m staying until we find Claus. I made you a promise!” 

“And after that?” Lucas tucked into his knees slightly, his voice becoming a bit muffled, “When Claus is rescued? When the sun rises again? What will you do then?” 

Ness went quiet and turned away, “I don’t know …” he admitted, “I guess I’ll take it one step at a time as it comes closer. But, for now, we don’t even know how to make the sun come back. But, for now? I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me Lucas!” 

Lucas turned and in the darkness he could make out what seemed to be a smile coming from Ness. That was a pleasant surprise for sure. Although, even if Ness was around for a good, long time to come, the thought of him leaving just made him sad-- and even angry with himself. He simply nodded without a reply. 

“... That’s not the only thing on your mind, is it?” Ness asked, “Are you mad at me …?” 

“No …” Lucas shrugged, “I don’t know what I’m feeling …” 

“... Are you … jealous?” Ness bit the inside of his lip. He figured that was probably the case, but, he didn’t want to admit it. He saw Lucas slouch and felt bad that he had guessed it. “My friends could never replace you. I hope you know that.” 

“But, if the time came, you would leave with them, right …?”  
“I don’t know what I would do. I don’t want to think about it until that day comes.” 

Lucas turned to face his shadow, now slightly angry, “What if the sun came up tomorrow, Ness? What if Paula, Jeff, and Poo were all eager to move on from here?” he sighed a shaky breath before continuing, “You’ve known them for so long … you wouldn’t just leave them for me. I can’t just leave here either … this is my home …” 

“Lucas … is that what you’re worried about? Me leaving?” Lucas gave a nod without any reply, and that was good enough for Ness to scoot closer and wrap an arm around him. “I’m not going anywhere. You and I? We make a good team. Paula and the others are just gonna have to accept that I have someone else that’s important in my life now.” 

Lucas felt his cheeks grow hot again and his chest tighten with butterflies once again. He was important to Ness? Important enough to where he wouldn’t leave? Jealousy was a bitch, and he felt awful for making Ness choose, but in that instant? He felt on top of the world. So much so, he figured it was time. 

“Ness? I need to tell you something.”  
“What is it?” 

Lucas parted from the hug and stared at his silhouette in the darkness. He could make out every inch of his perfect face. From his hat down to his torso, he had memorized every inch of him. Lucas swallowed thickly before mustering up his courage. 

“I know it sounds dumb and really cliche, but, everytime I see you lately, my heart beats a million times a second.” from the dim light casted from the windows, Ness could see Lucas’s eyes gaze at him. “Ness, I think I like you-- I think I have feelings for you.” 

Ness was quiet for a moment, not sure how to respond. Just like Lucas, he began feeling his chest tighten up as the fluttering sensation filled him as well. He blinked in surprise before finally finding the words. Dumb words, but words nonetheless. 

“Really …?” 

Lucas nodded in the darkness, “Yeah … I was really confused for a while, wondering if it’s actually how I felt. But, the longer it sat, the more I began to realize how I really felt.” 

“How long have you felt like this …?” 

“Since we found Claus. I realized then that you made me a stronger person. You helped me realize the potential I have inside me.” he huffled in a way that sounded like a nervous chuckle, “I can’t thank you enough Ness … you’re a great, caring, and kind person. I never did anything to deserve you in my life …” 

The two remained quiet for a moment, but the situation was growing too awkward for Lucas’s liking. He decided to continue. 

“I-I hope this doesn’t change anything with our friendship!” he exclaimed, “I just wanted to get that off my chest … I wanted you to know. Sorry if that seems weird …” 

“I don’t think it’s weird at all.” 

Lucas looked at Ness again, this time feeling much more relieved. He wasn’t weirded out-- thank god! He smiled nervously and sighed in relief. 

“You know, I always sort of knew you had a thing for me …”  
“God, was it that obvious …?” Lucas asked, hiding his face in his knees again. “Wow.” 

“Yeah, just a little~!” Ness gave a chuckle. “But, you know … I’m glad you told me, because I knew I could never bring myself to tell you.” 

Lucas peered up at him from hiding his face and blinked in confusion. “Wait, you like me too??” 

Ness nodded and shuffled slightly. “I think I also realized after we saw Claus. I hated every moment of that fight we had, and I knew you were in the right. I hated myself for all those shitty things I said to you … I was in the wrong, and no amount of me apologizing will ever fix that.” 

“You don’t have to apologize. I know you’re sorry.” 

The two went quiet again, this time just enjoying each other’s company. The crickets chirping in the distance made for perfectly peaceful moment that Lucas felt he’d never get again. It was amazing, and he was glad that Ness returned the feelings. But, where to go from there? 

“So, um … what’s next?” Lucas asked with another nervous chuckle.  
“Well, how about this for starters?” 

Ness scooted closer to Lucas, so close that their bodies were touching. He leaned in, trying to pinpoint Lucas’s face on his silhouette. He gently pressed his lips to Lucas’s, and felt his entire chest burst with excitement at the touch. Lucas nearly gasped at the gesture, having wanted this for so long. It didn’t take long for either of them to melt into the kiss, welcoming it with open arms. It was everything Lucas had ever imagined and more. His lips were just as soft as he had thought. Wow, that was really gay, Lucas. 

After a moment, Ness pulled away, their faces just inches from one another now. 

“Well, how was that?”  
“Better than I imagined …” 

Lucas moved in for another kiss and this time wrapped an arm around Ness’s shoulder, pulling him in closer. Ness returned the gesture and held Lucas’s lower back. Both of them came together for another kiss, this time more passionate than the last. There they sat, two lovesick teenagers, who had been pining for one another, blindly unaware of the other’s feelings. They parted once again, finally feeling complete. 

“Is it too early to say I love you?” Lucas asked, his face growing warm. 

“I always hated couples who said that the minute they started dating, but,” he moved in close again and gave him a peck on the cheek, “Now I see what they mean. I love you too.” 

The two shared in an embrace, which felt all the more inviting now that they had squared away their feelings for one another. Lucas no longer felt like he was being weird for keeping the hug going for too long. Now, everything was absolutely perfect. Ness parted from the hug first and stood up, taking Lucas’s hand and watched as he stood up. 

“Hey, come with me a sec. I have an idea I wanna show you.”  
“Oh, what is it?”  
“You know how you used to say you and Claus would stargaze all the time?”  
“Yeah?” 

Ness led him to the center of the encampment. A grassy field was laid out before them and he invited Lucas to lay next to him as they stared up at the dark void of the night sky. No stars, no moon-- nothing but blackness. Lucas blinked in confusion, wondering what he was getting at. 

“Uh, Ness … I hate to burst your date idea, but … there’s no stars to watch …”  
“Yes there is-- watch this.” 

Ness took his left hand and pointed at the sky. From his fingertips a small burst of PK Flash erupted from the tip and launched a few feet above them. The way the PSI danced about above them, actually made it seem like there were shooting stars above them. 

Ness glanced over and saw the light above them reflecting on Lucas’s eyes. It only made his heart flutter with joy, as he saw him watch on in awe at the spectacle. It was nothing like the real stars-- that would’ve been nice for a first date, but, this would have to be the consolation prize. 

“Well?”  
“Weren’t you the one who said to conserve our power?”  
“It’s only a little bit-- and the hot spring is close by. We’ll be fine.”  
“Well, in that case … it’s perfect …”  
“I thought you’d like it …” 

Ness sent off another PK Flash, watching it erupt in the sky above them once again. It was just enough where it was quiet and wouldn't harm anything. Sometimes, Ness managed to come up with some good ideas. He felt Lucas slink his hand next to his and intertwined his fingers with his. In that instant, Ness felt beyond happy. His friends were back in his life, his leg was fully healed, and he even managed to somehow get a boyfriend out of all of this. 

Things just couldn’t be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW I THINK THIS IS THE BEST CHAPTER BY FAR  
> I REALLY HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT TOO~! 
> 
> The ending scene came from an idea from my good friend Wilblo. Thanks for giving me such good ideas~  
> Another friend of mine, Mousekins, also gave me some good medical tips and facts. Hopefully I did you some justice with the first part ajskfks 
> 
> Either way, I hope you all enjoy and look forward to the next chapter!


	14. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter you will find the following:  
> -Disgusting angst and sickly-sweet fluff  
> -Lucas making confidence his bitch  
> -Lots of mystery dungeon references  
> -Ninten pining for someone he shouldn't be pining for 
> 
> I hope you all have fun~  
> Also thanks to Mousekins for the waterwheel idea -w- b Idk where i'd be without ya~  
> Also, fun fact; I just realized my fic is one of the longer Nesscas fics on the site.  
> I don't know if I should be proud, ashamed, or both.  
> I'll let you guys decide. Nonetheless, have fun with this chapter!

The hot water pounded against Ninten’s face as he faced up towards the showerhead. He had been so caught up in recent events that he hadn’t been able to take a shower since before Claus came around. All at once, the grime and muck of the past few weeks came pouring off of him. A sigh of relief and contentedness overcame him as he brought his hands up to scrub through his hair. As much as he hated it in the compound, the limited electricity and the hot water were probably the only good things about living there. 

Ninten’s eyes wandered to his right arm and slowly trailed down his body. Now that he got a better look at himself, he could see the full extent of what happened during that explosion. His skin was healing, thankfully, but it had begun to flake off where it remained dead. Still discolored in certain places, he was glad most of it was covered up by his clothing. An empty feeling welled up inside him when he imagined what had happened to Claus. If he looked this bad … he’d hate to imagine what Claus looked like … not that he was imagining him like that or anything. 

He shook that mental image out of his now flushed face and continued washing, soaking up the warm water. Once he finally felt a chill, he figured it was time to finally head back. Dinner would be ready soon, and he wanted to meet up with Claus before then. Ninten stood there for several minutes, letting the air dry him before grabbing his draped clothes from the top of the shower. As he started dressing, he heard several people enter the showering area and he went completely still. From the voice, it sounded like several higher ups talking. It’d be awkward to walk out and just share eye contact with them. Best wait until they finish their business before leaving his own stall. 

“Did you hear the plans that Fassad has for that one kid?”  
“The ginger? What about him?”  
“Apparently Fassad’s planning on using his powers to help us spread our forces past Fourside.”  
“The kid has that much power? Doubtful, he seems scrawny.”  
“It’s all about how you harness it! But, I can tell you more when we go on patrol” 

Ninten’s heart began thudding out of his chest as an anxiety filled fog fell over him. He knew Fassad wanted to use his powers for his own gains, but what exactly was he planning? All out war? How would he plan to use Claus? Was there anyway to stop him? He could tell Claus what Fassad was planning-- but that could end up worse for both of them. As soon as he heard the higher ups turn their own showers on, Ninten finished dressing and bolted out of the shower room as fast as he could. Claus needed to be warned! At least then they would know what’s coming! 

It wasn’t long before Ninten reached their room, but his asthma had caught up to him in no time. He swung open the door, hoping to see Claus there. Instead, there were only two empty beds and a candle flickering in the dim light. A sinking feeling formed in his gut. When he left for the showers, Claus was here. Had he just gone to get dinner? Perhaps that was it! Forgetting his own needs to breathe, he dashed off into the darkness of the compound hoping to find his friend. 

As he searched, it became painfully obvious that Fassad had gotten to him first. Just what was he planning? Then it hit him. Whenever Ninten would wake up, Claus was never in the room. It was always around the same time that he’d come into the room, a glazed look in his eyes before he seemingly snapped back into reality. Was he being mind controlled? Nothing was making any sense, but, at the same time, it was all clicking together in Ninten’s brain. Claus had to be alright … he just had to be.

* * *

It had been ages since Ness slept in an actual, comfortable bed. Lucas’s father was kind enough to let him stay with them now that he was out of the infirmary. He offered to sleep on the couch, but Flint insisted he could sleep in Claus’s old bed. Strangely enough, he felt very out of place. However, it was a kind gesture, so he thanked Flint for everything and the two went off to bed.

Ness recalled talking with Lucas before going to sleep. They talked about the plan to get Claus and Ninten back home safely. They talked about what they would all do once they were back. About a possible future when the sun came back, about possible things that could happen. There were two theories the boys thought up with in which the Tazmilians disappeared from this world altogether, or the slightly better version, they return to their own time, completely unharmed. Quite frankly, Ness didn’t like either of those theories. He much preferred the one where the sun rose, and they all coexisted together peacefully. But, for now, it was all up in the air, and in that moment it didn’t matter. The two went to sleep, looking at one another in the dimly lit room until their tired eyes wouldn’t stay open any more. 

Ness awoke to the dim candlelight flickering in between the beds. He was quick to check his watch and read the time; nine in the morning. It was getting late, and he and Lucas had to put this plan to save Claus into action sooner rather than later. Ness sat up with a stretch, feeling his joints and bones crack in a pleasing way. He glanced over at the other bed and could make out the dim silhouettes of his new boyfriend and his dog sleeping peacefully with one another. Boney was curled up under Lucas’s arm and the blonde had his face buried in his pet’s warm coat. 

A smile overcame Ness as he watched them sleep. A thought crossed his mind, and perhaps it was way too early to be thinking in such ways … but, Ness played out the same scenario over and over in his head. The sun is back, and it’s morning-- he and Lucas are older now, and Boney is an old dog, but still quite cuddly. The two lay in the same bed as Ness embraces him lovingly. Things couldn’t get better. Ness stops himself right there and reminds himself that it’s just wishful thinking. No matter how good things may seem, in this new world, everything could be torn away in an instant. 

His senses return to him when he hears some rustling coming from downstairs. Carefully, he climbs out of the creaking bed, hoping to not wake Lucas or Boney. The camp is safe, so he’s plenty fine with leaving his backpack where it sits beside the night stand. With a yawn and another stretch, he makes his way down the stairs where he can hear Flint whistling a tune. It sounds like a happier melody of the song Lucas first played back at the villa. The floorboards in the old house squeak as he walks across, heading towards the kitchen. Flint hears and turns to see the clearly well rested boy. 

“I figured you’d be up before ‘im” Flint gave Ness a smile and nodded for him to take a seat at the table, “I hope ya slept well. The beds here are plenty comfy.” 

“Yeah, they were really comfy. Thanks for letting me stay with you guys.” Ness sat down at the table and watched as Flint used a makeshift stove to do his cooking. Already, the sweet aroma of a soup was beginning to fill the room. The pot he threw ingredients into was huge! Was it meant to feed the entire camp. “That smells good!” 

“Thank ya kindly, Ness. We have plenty o’ soups and canned veggies saved up from all this scavenging we do. We even got a water wheel working just outside o’ the camp. It makes just enough energy for us t’ grow certain crops too.” 

“That sounds really efficient! I’m glad you guys are getting along just fine here.” It’d be a shame for it all to be torn from them. Claus’s people seem like a terrifying threat. If they caught wind of this camp, what would become of it? Would they be forced to work for them? No matter what, it seemed like a shitty outcome. Despite his true feelings, Ness gives Flint a smile. “I think this camp will be around for a long time, the way you guys are holding out!” 

“True, but, we can’t hold out forever.” Flint explained with a low sigh, “We only have enough canned foods t’ last us for about half a year.” 

“But, you also have that greenhouse you told me about. Surely that could be a good source of food.” 

“It is for a while, but, if somethin’ happened t’ that water wheel, we’re all as good as dead.” 

Ness shuffled a bit in his seat, grimacing at the thought of that. Surely there had to be a better way to provide electricity. There were electric PSI attacks, but he could only assumed they tried it and it just wasn’t effective. It was a long shot, but if that compound of Claus’s ever went under new management, perhaps they could all move into there. From what he and Ninten said, they have running water and electricity. They were bound to have a plan for food there! Flint turned back towards Ness and crossed his arms as he lay up against the cupboards. 

“So, Lucas tells me yer friends with those other kids that showed up not t’ long ago? Paula and th’ others?” 

Ness nodded in confirmation, “Yeah, we were all really good friends before the world went dark. But, as soon as everything happened, we all get separated in the confusion …” 

Flint narrowed his eyes at the boy, “I’m awful sorry t’ hear that, Ness. Look on th’ bright side though. At least ya’ll found each other. Ya’ll are safe n’ sound, and nothin’s gonna tear ya apart again.” 

“I really hope you’re right, sir,” Ness replied, returning the look of hope to him, “They mean so much to me. If anything happened to them … I don’t know what I’d do …” 

“That’s th’ same for me n’ my boys. Speakin’ of which, could you go wake em’ up? He sleeps like a log when he can, but he shouldn’t. Breakfast will be served soon enough, so hope t’ it!” 

“Sure thing!” 

Ness retreated back up the stairs and found Lucas and Boney in the same position he had left them, except now, Lucas was snoring louder than he had ever heard him. Honestly, it made him chuckle at the scene. Hand over his face, one holding Boney, drool sliding down his face. Never before had he seen Lucas sleep so peacefully … it almost pained him to wake him up. However, after breakfast was over and done with, they would hold a meeting to talk about the rescue plan. He had to be ready. 

Ness came to sit at the edge of the bed and again found himself looking over Lucas’s features. He had always found him rather attractive, but now that both of their feelings had come to a head, it was even more prevalent now. Slowly, he knelt down and placed a kiss on Lucas’s forehead, brushing back his hair a bit. It didn’t take long for the blonde to stir from his sleep and flash Ness a smile. 

“Good morning …” he said sleepily.  
“More like good night.” Ness replied with a chuckle.  
“What time is it?”  
“Around nine. Flint said he wanted you to be up. I would’ve let you sleep, but, y’know.”  
“Mmmm … alright …” 

Lucas untangled his arm from Boney’s grasp, watching the chocolate lab flip over and nestle in closer to the warm bed. Ness moved to stand up so Lucas could sit upright and wake himself up, He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and let out a yawn. The calm washed over them and they sat there in peace for a moment. 

“We have to talk about the plan with everyone today … don’t we?”  
Ness nodded, “Yeah … we can come up with what to say during breakfast.”  
“What if they talk us out of the plan? Or, what if no one joins us?” 

“Everyone here cares about you, Luc,” Ness explained, “Of course they’ll think it’s dangerous for us to be doing. But, at the same time, they’re not gonna let you go at it alone.” 

Lucas chuckled quietly, “You called me Luc? I’ve only ever heard my dad call me that …” 

Ness bit the inside of his cheek, feeling slightly embarrassed, “Do you … not like it?” 

“No, I do … it’s nice.” 

Lucas finally stood up and sleepily embraced Ness in a hug. The fact that he admitted everything last night still felt so surreal. They were actually together now. Nothing was going to get in their way anymore. He sighed heavily, resting his face in the crook of Ness’s neck as a smile enveloped him. 

“I’m so glad I told you everything …”  
“I am too. It was really eating away at me too. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”  
“No matter what, I’ll always be here for you, Ness …”  
“That’s a pretty tough promise to keep Lucas … sure you can handle it?”  
“Of course. I keep all my promises …” 

They finally parted the hug and decided it was time to go join Flint. Boney finally stirred from his sleep and joined the boys as they made their way downstairs. During the time Ness had gone to wake Lucas up, breakfast was ready and taken out to be served to the camp. Even with the rationed food, Flint knew how to make a delicious, slightly home cooked meal for everyone to enjoy. Once again, he’d give all of the thanks and praise to Hinawa for teaching him how to cook like her. 

Everyone gathered near the dining area; several picnic tables side by side completed the look as everyone gathered for breakfast. It didn’t take long For Ness to find his friends, and even Fuel joined them for breakfast. As the adults talked about this and that, Lucas and Ness figured they could discuss their plan with their friends first off. 

As they ate, Lucas explained what had happened to Claus, where he was being holed up, and what was happening to him there. He explained how he and Ness believed he was being tortured, or at the very least being manipulated. They spoke of his friend Ninten, how Porky was there with them, and overall how big of a mess everything was. All of Ness’s friends seemed extremely unsettled by all of this. Neither of them looked towards Ness or Lucas as they explained the story. 

“Pokey’s still alive …?” Jeff asked, before finally glancing up. The candles that sat in the middle of each table gave off a slight glow that reflected on the blonde’s glasses. “I thought that whole mess with Giygas destroyed him …” 

“The same could have been said for us, Jeff,” Poo explained, sighing a bit, “We all thought the other had died. We thought Master Ness was gone from this world. Fate certainly has its way of proving us wrong time and time again.” 

“Wait, I don’t follow … what’s a Giygas? Who’s Porky?” Fuel glanced at everyone with a super confused look. “I understand Claus is in trouble and we need to get him as soon as possible, but … who are all these people?” 

Paula glanced over at Ness who seemed visibly shaken from Fuel’s confusion. Obviously, the longer he could hide his secret, the better. But, if Giygas really was pulling the strings behind this eternal night, the secret had to come out. Plus, no one from Lucas’s time even knew who Giygas was. Best that all be explained as well. Her expression saddened. 

“Ness …?”  
“No, it’s okay, Paula. He needs to know. Everyone needs to know eventually.” 

Ness turned towards Fuel and stared into his eyes, guilt seemingly pouring out of his subconscious. Immediately, Fuel knew something was wrong. Why did Ness look so sad? Were these people someone Ness didn’t want to talk about? All at once, Fuel felt a pang of guilt wash over him as he realized maybe he should’ve just kept quiet and kept his curiosity to himself. 

“Back before this world turned dark … Paula, Jeff, Poo and I were tasked with destroying an evil entity known as Giygas. If we didn’t, he’d plunge the world into chaos and even bring it to the brink of destruction. We set off and did what we could to stop him, but …” 

Ness went quiet and everyone stared back at him intently. An air of unease settled over them as he struggled to speak the truth. Would Fuel hate him? He didn’t even know the boy that well, but, he couldn’t stand the thought of someone hating him for this reason. He took a deep sigh before continuing his story. 

“Pokey--er, Porky as he calls himself now, used to be my friend growing up. But, he was influenced by Giygas in the end and tried siding with him to stop us. In the end, Porky managed to get away, and I can remember vividly that we almost finished Giygas off. Suddenly, everything went black and I had been knocked out.” 

Paula took over for Ness, “Me, Jeff, and Poo all woke up and didn’t see Ness anywhere. The sky was dark when it should’ve been morning, and the whole world went quiet. We … um …” 

“We failed in our mission.” Poo finally spoke. There was no easy way of saying it. “Giygas used the last of his power to plunge the world into darkness. At least, that is what we’ve all come to believe.” 

Jeff nodded, “Everything we had worked so hard to do … and it all blew up in our face …” he narrowed his eyes at his meal in front of him, a grimace appearing on his face, “We need to figure out what really happened and stop this once and for all.” 

Fuel was taken back by everything he had just heard. Wide eyes stared back at Ness and his friends, all while Lucas watched on, feeling sorry that they had to tell their secret like this. He remembered back at the hospital when Ness decided to tell him, and even now he could see a little bit of him inside Fuel’s expression. Did Fuel believe a word they said? Fuel finally turned towards Lucas who nodded slowly at him. 

“It’s all the truth, Fuel … Ness also told me a while back. But, we can’t fault them for bad circumstances. All that matters now is fixing what Giygas started and bringing the sun back!” 

Despite everything sounded like fabrication and far from the truth, Fuel slowly nodded, understanding what had to be done. After all, eternal night sounded completely farfetched, yet here they were. Suddenly, something worrying crossed Fuel’s mind. He looked up at the rest of them and swallowed thickly. 

“Um, so, if we bring back the sun and this world goes back to normal … what happens to us, Lucas?” 

Lucas perks up slightly, wondering what he means. What happens to them? He wasn’t quite following. He rose a brow and cocked his head slightly in confusion, prompting Fuel to continue. 

“I mean, we’re all certain we were pulled from our own time-- our own world and brought here, right? No one has ever heard of the Nowhere Islands or Tazmily Village that we’ve know. I asked Paula and the others, and they had no idea. So, anyway, let's say all that’s true and we’re from a completely different timeline than Ness and the others. If the sun comes up … what’s gonna happen to all of us? Are we gonna stay like nothing happened? Will we go back to our town time?” he gulped before finishing, “Will we … disappear from existence as if we never existed to begin with?” 

All of Ness’s fears came true as Fuel began to realize it as well. Ness wanted to believe he was just being dumb and overthinking things earlier, but, it was entirely possible. Lucas and everyone in this camp were never supposed to exist in this timeline. Giygas must’ve done something to bring them here. So, if the world is changed, and Giygas’s horrible plan is eventually thwarted, what will happen to everyone who was brought here? Was Ninten safe? He existed in a different time too. Everyone went silent as this realization was met. 

“I … I don’t know,” Lucas said quietly. “I don’t want to think what would happen if that was the case. Going back home? It’d be amazing to see Tazmily again, but …” he glanced over at Ness and bit the inside of his lip, “We’ve made so many friends here. It wouldn’t feel right leaving. Worse than that, I don’t want to disappear either, but …” 

Everyone perked up as Lucas gave a smile to them all. Through his facade, they could see he was saddened by his words and their realization. But, he spoke the truth. “If we can save this world and bring back the sun, then that’s fine by me. I’d be sad if we had to leave, or disappeared, or anything else. We’d be leaving behind people who care about us now. But, if we can give them a better future worth living in, I’d gladly sacrifice myself for them to live in a peaceful world.” 

“Lucas …” Ness said quietly. From under the table, he took hold of his hand, holding it tightly in his own. Lucas only turned to him and his smile widened. 

“It’s fine Ness. I’d want you all to live in a world where you can be happy. But, for now, we can only move forward. Right now, we need to focus on getting Claus back. Then we can focus on saving the world.” 

Lucas’s mini speech left everyone awestruck for a moment. Neither Ness nor Fuel had ever seen this much confidence radiating from the boy. While it was rather sad to think about their possible demise in the future, it was also welcoming to see how much he had grown. Before long, Poo also spoke up. 

“I agree with him. It’s not something we can dwell on now. If it happens, it happens, and we can only send our friends off with a smile on our face. It’s a fact of life we must all accept.” 

“Yeah … Okay, I think I get it now. I don’t want to disappear … but, I do want our new friends to be safe and happy.” Fuel gave a nod, “Don’t worry, Lucas. You have my full support for everything going forward! I’m sure my dad will help however he can too!” 

Lucas huffed slightly, feeling a tad emotional, “Thank you, Fuel … thank you everyone … I really appreciate it. I promise the world won’t suffer much longer. Once Claus and Ninten are safe, we’ll figure something out …” 

That went way better than expected, from both Ness and Lucas’s perspectives. Ness and his friends had just told their biggest secret, and Fuel accepted them with open arms. Not only that, but, Lucas and Fuel also came to terms with their possible demise. No matter what happened, they’d embrace it with a smile on their face. If they ended up staying, things couldn’t be better. If they were meant to go back to their own time, or disappear in order for the timelines to resolve, so be it. Everything would work out in the end, no matter what …

* * *

Ninten couldn’t get any sleep. He tried desperately, but there was too much buzzing in his mind. Claus hadn’t returned and hours had passed. He could care less about any scavenging missions or what have you-- all that was on his mind was if Claus was alright or not. Ninten paced briskly around the room, trying to think of ideas. Was Claus somewhere in the basement? Near where he found him in that cell? All of these thoughts whirred around in his head like cogwheels turning, but … would he be able to put any of these plans into action? What was Fassad doing to Claus? What was he-- 

Ninten froze in place when the door creaked open slowly. He turned towards the door, half expecting Fassad, Porky, or a higher up to be standing in the doorway. When he saw that it was Claus, his eyes widened in pure happiness. Although, Claus didn’t look like he normally did. Instead of that usual blank stare whenever he returned, he looked very upset. His brow was furrowed into a way that made him look sad. Claus slowly closed the door behind him and pressed his back against it, head facing down. Without thinking, Ninten charged at him to embrace him in a hug. Claus was alright! Claus recoiled a bit as Ninten approached him, causing the boy to stop. He stopped a few inches in front of him and looked him over before settling on his face. 

“You were gone for so long …” Ninten said quietly, “What did he do to you this time …?” 

Claus didn’t respond for a moment. He simply brought his hand up to his forehead and brushed away his greasy bangs, revealing what Fassad had done. A new enhancement so to speak. Metallic parts shone through underneath his skin. A blinking red light flashed brilliantly on the robotic part of his head. Ninten starred on in disbelief as Claus let his hair fall back over to cover it. Again, Claus showed him more. He lifted up his shirt, revealing his bare stomach. Where Ninten was sure there had been burn marks, more enchantments replaced it. The new metallic parts covered part of his stomach, side, and half of his backside. He lowered his shirt, but he still wasn’t done. He tugged at his pant leg, pulling it up slightly to reveal even more robotic material attached to him. Ninten couldn’t believe what he was seeing and only shook his head in complete shock. To top everything off, he showed him the robotic arm he had donned for a while. In the palm was a hollow gouge which hadn’t been there before. Ninten could only assume it was for manipulating his PSI. Claus lowered his hand slowly, an even worse expression crossing him. 

Ninten was seething with anger in that moment. Fassad had gone too far this time. He knew the man was capable of great evil-- he could see that when he killed Claus and Lucas’s mother, but this? This was beyond anything Ninten had seen coming. At first, he thought replacing his arm was an act of kindness … but now? He wanted nothing more than to see Fassad meet a terrible end-- an end fitting for someone such as him. 

“He … he did something to my head …” Claus spoke shakily, feeling what was left of his emotions getting the best of him. He sighed, feeling as if he’d lose himself at any moment. “I … don’t even feel like myself anymore …” 

Instead of withholding his emotions like he desperately wanted to, his shaky breaths turned into sobs as he began crying. It was at that point that he felt completely naked and at his lowest low. Never before did he think he could feel this awful, but, it always seemed like life had a way of proving him wrong. It was only then that he accepted an embrace from Ninten, hugging him back. Claus buried his face into his neck, grasping at his hoodie tightly. 

Claus had always returned with a glazed look with lack of emotion. Had Fassad allowed him to be awake all that time? Had he not brainwashed him after the fact? It only made Ninten all the more angier the more he thought about it. It hurt him seeing Claus like this, and only made him want to cry all the same. His feelings of anger were replaced with a melancholic feeling as he felt his neck grow hot from Claus’s continued sobs. 

“Hey, it’s gonna be alright …” Ninten lied. He spoke soothingly nonetheless, rubbing Claus’s back gently. “You’re alright now, Claus …” 

“H-he … he found out we … stole supplies …” he hiccuped, holding him back tighter, “He said … no amount of brainwashing could fix this …” he breathed out shakily, his voice sounding tattered and pathetic. “I was awake the whole time …” 

“Oh, Claus …” Ninten was pushed to the point of tears as he held him back, this time more gentle and lovingly. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that …” 

“I was in so much pain … but I couldn’t scream …” Claus tucked in further to Ninten’s warmth, finally starting to feel safe. “He did something … I could feel the pain, but, I couldn’t react … it was terrible …” 

“I should’ve done something … I should’ve been smarter …” Ninten shook his head, now feeling himself hiccup slightly, “If I had thought things out … we could’ve escaped from this terrible place. You wouldn’t have that faux arm … we would be with Lucas and Ness … and …” 

The two stood there, embracing one another and crying. Crying for both of their sakes, and the terrible circumstances they were in. Everything felt so bleak. Ninten was seriously beginning to wish they had died in that explosion. Perhaps then they wouldn’t be feeling this terrible. Claus wouldn’t have to go through so much torment, and Ninten wouldn't have to sit on the sidelines wondering when his turn was coming, or worse, when Claus was going to leave him. 

After a few moments, Claus finally parted from the hug, looking at Claus’s face. Red, wet, and full of guilt. That was the best way to explain how they both looked in that instant. Ninten looked at the disgusting features Fassad had added to his face and grimaced. It was safe to say Claus wasn’t even in his own body anymore. It sickened Ninten to his very core. 

“We should try to sleep …” he tried forcing a smile, but it didn’t work, “No good will come out of us being tired …” 

Ninten went to turn, but felt Claus grab at his sleeve. The other boy’s grasp was shaky, just like his voice; full of fear, sadness, and embarrassment. 

“I … don’t want to …” he paused and gulped, causing Ninten to turn towards him again. Claus finally looked up at him, his eyes glossy from all the crying prior. “I’m so scared … he’ll take me again …” he felt tears trickle down his face again, “I’m afraid this next test will be his final one … and I won’t be myself anymore …” 

He hated saying that. Claus hated being dependant more than anything. He had been positive that he was stronger than people thought. Always stronger than Lucas in every sense of the word, and often looked as being the more independent and carefree of the twins. Now, he was broken-- a mere shell of himself. Fassad had finally brought Claus to his breaking point, and he was beyond terrified. 

Ninten sighed and brought him into another hug. It was heartbreaking when he felt him tremble in his arms. “You can stay in my bed, alright?” He was met from a nod from Claus. 

“I’m sorry …” a small whimper from the ginger, “I’m so sorry …” 

“Don’t be,” the raven haired boy gave him a sympathetic look. “I don’t mind at all …” 

The two turned towards Ninten’s bed at the wall and he allowed Claus to climb in first, inching as close to the wall as he could. From this point, it’d be hard for Fassad to reach for him if he ended up coming back. Ninten watched as he huddled into the blankets, still visibly shaking. Ninten looked to the candle and went to blow it out, before Claus spoke up. 

“Leave it going … please …” Ninten replied with a nod and climbed into the bed. 

Once he was situated, he couldn’t help but stare at Claus. It didn’t seem to mind the ginger, because he was looking right back at him all the same. Ninten’s chest tightened up when Claus asked him a question he wasn’t prepared for. 

“Are we gonna be okay …?” 

“I hope so …” he shifted under the blankets, pulling them up over his neck, “I really hope so …” 

“What if he comes back while we’re sleeping?” Claus asked, hiccups still wracking his body. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be up all night to make sure nothing happens …” 

Claus looked towards him, feeling a pang of guilt, “All night …?”  
“All night. Try to get some sleep, alright?” 

Claus nodded and nuzzled into the pillowless bed, trying to find comfort. Next to Ninten, he felt safe finally. After a while, the warmth radiated off of both of them, and he was able to find the sleep he desperately craved. Ninten kept his word, and stayed up as long as he could, but, even so, his eyes became heavy with the need to sleep. After Claus had fallen asleep, he was finally able to get a good look at him. 

The boy looked completely peaceful. The tears in his eyes were gone, he was sleeping soundly, and all seemed to finally ease up. It made Ninten happy, but, none of the feelings from earlier could leave just like that. 

He didn’t want to wake Claus, but he found himself bringing his hand up to Claus’s bangs and parting them slightly. The metallic parts of his head felt so out of place to the touch-- cold and lifeless, not like any other part of Claus. He still had a beating heart, he was still breathing, he still had his voice and emotions-- he was the Claus that Ninten had come to know. Ninten felt tears in his eyes again and an overwhelming desire to see Fassad pay for his actions. Despite claiming he was a pacifist, even he knew when people needed to be brought to justice. Was there something he could’ve done? Something to prevent Claus from being used like this? Was this what could’ve happened to him if Fassad found out about his own PSI? It was disgusting, and Ninten wanted it to come to an end. 

When he saw Claus shift in his sleep, he took his hand away. This time, he reached for the boy’s robotic hand. He knew quite well he wouldn’t feel his touch and knew he’d continue sleeping peacefully. Despite the cold feeling on his hand, a sense of security and warmth overcame him. In that instant, he felt melancholic, but also strangely happy. From now on, he’d do anything to protect Claus at all costs. 

For the boy who had stolen his heart, he would do anything to help him.

* * *

Lucas stood in front of the entire encampment. Ness stood at his side, as did Ness’s friends and Fuel. They were there for him-- to encourage him and back up his plan. The plan to save Claus and Ninten would require the help from everyone. Lucas had known these people his entire life, but, even now, he felt himself freezing up. Would they even help them? When he felt Ness’s hand on his shoulder, he felt his confidence returning to him. With his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out several familiar shadows. His father, his grandfather, Wess, Duster, Kumatora-- they were all here. Better get this started. 

“Thank you all for coming together!” Lucas exclaimed, “As you know, a month ago I left to go find Claus and bring him back home. Along the way, I crossed paths with Ness. He helped me get to the bottom of what happened to Claus, and after searching for a while, we finally found him!” 

Several astonished gasps came from the cluster of people standing in front of them. Once they hushed, Lucas continued. 

“He’s being kept in a compound south of here-- probably a week’s journey if we travel quickly. The man who killed Hinawa runs that compound with his higher ups, and they forbid Claus from ever leaving! He and his friend are stuck there, with no way out. We weren’t given specifics, but, Claus and his friend are in danger! We need to bring them back no matter what!” 

He swallowed thickly, trying to form his words how he wanted to. Speaking in front of a group was definitely something Lucas didn’t like doing. But, if he could successfully rally his friends together, then he’d consider it a mission complete. 

“What I propose we do, is split up into three separate groups! Four groups will make their way towards the compound, and we’ll all meet at a rendezvous point just outside of the city it’s located in. Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo know this world very well. They’ll lead us all through the dark world, and to the rendezvous point.” 

“So what’s the plan once we get to the meeting place? We’re all together, but then what? Go in, guns a’ blazing?” Kumatora asked, cocking her head to the side. At her question, everyone went silent. 

“Ness and I are going to try and contact Claus and his friend using our telepathy tonight. If we can get through to them, we can figure out how to get past their defences. We may not be able to reach them until we’re closer to the city, however.” Lucas explained, “I can give you all a better plan once we’re at the meeting point.” 

Silence swept through the shadows of people. Had Lucas lost their support? He knew it was a shot in the dark, but, he figured he’d have more support. 

“I-I promise we’re gonna try and contact them as best we can!” he explained further, “I’ll let you all know as soon as possible what the plan is! W-we just .. uh …” 

Ness could see he was falling apart. Something had to be done, and quick, otherwise they’d risk losing potential help in getting Claus back. 

“Listen to me, everyone! I know I may seem like a random kid who showed up out of nowhere, but, Lucas has told me nothing but good things about you people. He told me about the community you lived in together, and how you thrived back in your old town. You were, and still are a caring community! Well, now, Flint’s son is in trouble … and he may not have much time left!” he sighed a deep breath before continuing, “Claus was known and loved by everyone here, right? He left to get revenge for the man who killed his mother! I think that’s a justified reason-- but, now, he’s in trouble. We all need to band together and save him!” 

Talk amongst the crowd grew, and some agreement could be heard. Claus was part of them-- part of their family. He needed to be saved and brought home!

“I agree,” Flint stepped forward out of the cluster and turned towards everyone. “I was skeptical at first. I sent search party after search party t’ go and look fer Claus and Lucas as well. I remember very well how y’all helped us get through those hard times without Hinawa … and I can’t thank ya all enough. I ask that we all come together one more time as a community … and bring Claus home!” 

Roars of agreement erupted in the mass of people. They cheered for the brave speeches put on by everyone standing before them. Above all, Lucas was glad Ness and his father stepped in. Everyone had successfully come together, and although there wasn’t a solid plan just yet, they had one in the making. They would try their hardest to get in contact with Claus and Ninten that night. With any luck, they’d have a plan by tomorrow and things would go along swimmingly. 

Claus and Ninten would be safe soon …


End file.
